The Phillies announced today that both first baseman Bryce Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber have been reinstated from the injured list. In corresponding moves, infielder/outfielder Kody Clemens was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley while outfielder David Dahl was designated for assignment.
The Phils had to subtract two big bats from their lineup when both Harper and Schwarber landed on the 10-day IL back on June 28, Harper due to a left hamstring strain and Schwarber due to a left groin strain. Thankfully, both are now back after just a minimum stay on the shelf with the club managing to go 5-4 without those two.
But to get them back onto the roster, the club is moving on from Dahl. He seemed to be engineering a nice comeback story as of about a month ago, but the magic faded. After several years of injury struggles, he had to settle for a minor league deal with the Phillies in February and then demolished Triple-A pitching. He hit 12 home runs in 43 games for the IronPigs and produced a slash of .340/.416/.660 in that time.
He was selected up to the big league club in the first week of June as Brandon Marsh went on the injured list. He seemed to be carrying the good vibes over with a home run in his first game and then another in his third contest of the year, but things have tailed off significantly since then as he has a dismal line of .154/.196/.231 in his 56 most recent plate appearances. He has more than five years of service time and can’t be optioned without his consent, so the Phils have been forced to bump him off the 40-man entirely.
He’ll now be in DFA limbo for a maximum of seven days. Since waivers can take 48 hours, that means the Phils could take five days to try to find a trade partner. Dahl was once a solid regular with the Rockies, slashing .297/.346/.521 in 240 games from 2016 to 2019, but the injury bug has bit him hard since then. He has suffered a lacerated spleen that led to the organ needing to be removed entirely, as well as a stress fracture in his ribcage, a broken foot, a high ankle sprain, a shoulder strain, multiple back injuries and a quad strain.
He has received 390 plate appearances in the majors since the end of the 2019 season but has hit just .200/.237/.318 in those, bouncing to the Rangers, Padres and Phillies. That’s clearly unsatisfactory production but Dahl has the past track record and the recent run of success in Triple-A to start this year. If any club believed in him and gave him a chance, he could be retained via arbitration for the 2025 season. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.
They need a bat that can hit left handers and play LF. Muzziotti, Aldegheri, Jean Cabrera for Brent Rooker?
Zach Eflin’s salary nearly doubles to 18mil next year. With Tampa not looking very competitive this year, would a package of Griff McGarry plus the names mentioned above be enough for Eflin & Randy Arozarena? Or would the Phillies have to kick in a guy like Mick Abel or George Klassen to get that deal done?
Let me know your wish list Phils Phans..
Nope go get Brent Rooker & Tanner Scott then they are set. Once JT comes back this pitching staff will be back in form
1) Any one of these OFs, Tucker, Rooker, or Lane Thomas
2) Two solid, experienced back end RPs. I’d ask for a bonafide closer but we all know that won’t happen. LOL
3) A 5th SP, because I am tired of Walker, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Turnbull is done this season….and Suarez is worrying me a little also.
Not asking for much am I? LOLOLOLOLOL
Go sign Trevor Bauer for the 5th spot
Enough of the Trevor Bauer talk. No team is going to sign him because of Mansfeld being the commissioner
No
Watch his youtube channel , seems like a changed guy. Manfred is weak.
Yeah I’d rather you or me be out there.
PhilliesFan91…..
There are people who “put on a show” from a pulpit and you are trusting a YT channel?
Why would the Phillies FO, or any teams FO, want to turn most of their fan base and a good portion of the club house against them?
I don’t think it’s a bad idea to sign him. But to your point, Manfred probably warned all the teams not to bc Bauer dogged him every chance he got even before the allegations that were dropped. But it’s ok to give guilty guys second chances as long as they kiss the commissioner’s butt. Marcel Ozuna is still around. Why?
“Manfred probably warned..dogged him every chance he got”…Continually criticizing the guy who heads your organization is a good way to cut your career short. Like it or not Manfred isvthe commissioner of MLB. Can you imagine working at Apple or Microsoft and then bashing the CEOs on social media?… I’m guessing you’d be looking for new employment in less than a week.
So, Bauer’s no longer punching anyone in the tailpipe? That’s a good start.
Never happened
@Fernworm,
That’s easy for you to say.
Lane Thomas is interesting. His best position is RF, but he can play LF and CF on a limited basis. Hunter Harvey has struggled lately but is controllable for several years, as is Kyle Finnegan. Nationals could use a young 1B, CF & pitching. Maybe Darrick Hall, Muzziotti, McGarry & Aldegheri gets them Lane Thomas AND one of their relievers. We could definitely use another RHP in the pen, even with Seranthony being better lately.
Id rather get Tanner Scott from Miami
I would be infuriated if they trade klassen
Hard to believe Dahl is 30. High Draft pick that never made it.
(David Dahl)
NO JERRY! NOOOOO! Down boy. This isn’t the droid you’re looking for
best comment of the week!
If Kyle Tucker is available he is the guy the Phillies should go for. He can play CF.. have to add a bat, can’t have Rojas staying in playoffs he is an automatic out… Rojas if not dealt is a defense only/pinch runner in playoffs…
He isn’t. Even if he is, what kind of Astros ransom would you pay to get him?
Tucker would be the bat to go after but the astros will be in first place by the deadline
I don’t know about that. The Rangers are starting to catch them.
Hey Pirates, Dahl has a career batting average higher than all the guys they run out there not named Reynolds
If Simon Muzziotti is available then they should be able to get whoever they want
I think Brent Rooker is the bat to go get
Bellinger
Robert
A hard no for Robert
How is pache still on the roster, wtf
He will be gone or Merrifield once they get that bat at the deadline
Pache and Rojas do not deserve to wear a Phillies uniform.
Rojas has some value with his speed and defense. Pache and Merrified are useless.
Why Rojas did not get sent down is a joke. Kody Clemens deserves to be up with the big club. He might be a trade piece to get a Righty bat like Rooker though. Dahl and Pache would have been a coin flip but Rojas is nothing at the plate. At least Clemens give you a shot.
Marchan does have an option, but the kid is killin it. JT comes back stubby unemployed?
The spleen injury was before Dahl was ever in the majors, so it isn’t a part of the “since then” relative to his decent years with the Rockies.
What has gone wrong since then seems to be a combination of injuries and inability to adjust to opponents finding holes in his swing.
Wheeler to the IL