Phillies Jean Segura Out Three Weeks With Groin Strain
7:44 pm: The Phillies are placing Segura on the 10-day IL, Girardi told reporters (including Matt Gelb of the Athletic). Maton has indeed been recalled to replace him. GM Sam Fuld said Segura suffered a Grade 1 groin strain and is expected to miss three weeks (via Zolecki).
7:57 am: Tuesday’s 5-3 loss to the Dodgers was a particularly tough night for the Phillies, due to injuries to both Bryce Harper and Jean Segura. Harper left the game in the fourth inning due to lower back tightness, while Segura came up limping after beating out a grounder to first base in the ninth. Segura was replaced for pinch-runner Andrew Knapp, as the backup catcher was the last man remaining on Philadelphia’s bench after Harper’s injury and other in-game substitutions.
Segura’s injury was labeled a left groin strain, and manager Joe Girardi told reporters (including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki) after the game that “I’m not so confident that’s day to day,” so a trip to the 10-day injured list certainly looks to be in the cards for the infielder. This would Segura’s second IL stint of the season, after a right squad strain sidelined for 15 games in late April and early May.
Despite the missed time, Segura has still been one of the Phillies’ best hitters this season, and he has been on pace for the best numbers of his 10-year career. Segura has hit .332/.379/.465 over 203 plate appearances (133 wRC+, 136 OPS+), cracking three homers and scoring 24 runs. While Segura has benefited from a sky-high .378 BABIP and his .365 wOBA far outpaces his .321 xwOBA, he has also been one of the league’s harder player to strike out. Now in his second year as the Phils’ starting second baseman, Segura is also delivering above-average glovework, as per the Outs Above Average (+4) and Defensive Runs Saved (+4) metrics, though UZR/150 (-7.4) isn’t a fan of his defense at the keystone.
Nick Maton would be the likeliest Triple-A call-up if Segura did hit the injured list, as Maton has the second-most innings at second base of any Phillies player this season. The rookie got off to a hot start in his first MLB season, but an 0-for-20 slump resulted in Maton being sent to Triple-A last week. Ronald Torreyes and Brad Miller are second-base options on the active roster, though Torreyes has been starting at shortstop in the wake of Maton’s slump and Miller’s utilityman skills might be required in the outfield with Harper hurting.
In the bigger picture, however, there’s really no ideal way for the Phillies to replace Segura and Harper if both miss a substantial amount of time. Philadelphia is in second place in the NL East but with only a 32-33 record, and the team sits five games back of both the division lead and the second NL wild card berth. If the Phillies continue to hover around the .500 mark and can’t gain any ground in either playoff race, it remains to be seen how aggressive the team might be at the trade deadline (or, if they might pivot to selling some players).
Bryce Harper Removed From Game Due To Back Tightness
TODAY: Harper left the game due to tightness in his lower back. Girardi told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki and other reporters that Harper might not play in today’s game, though Harper’s recurring back issues aren’t thought to be a long-term issue. “I think he’ll be a player for us on Friday,” Girardi said, referring to Philadelphia’s next game.
JUNE 15: Phillies star right fielder Bryce Harper was removed from tonight’s game against the Dodgers in the fourth inning, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. “Looks like he hurt his back on a swing,” according to Gelb.
Harper was day-to-day with lower back tightness at one point in mid-April, but only took one day off for the issue. He suffered a terrifying injury later that month, taking a Genesis Cabrera fastball to his left cheek. He actually avoided the IL immediately after that one, dealing with various nagging injuries until the Phillies put him on the shelf for a left forearm contusion in late May. Phils manager Joe Girardi wasn’t particularly forthcoming during that period, so who knows what we’ll get on the latest Harper injury. The Phillies, 4.5 games back in both the NL East and the Wild Card at the time of this writing, can’t afford an extended absence from Harper.
Meanwhile, we learned today that Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius has been slow to recover from an elbow injury due to something called “pseudogout.” According to the Mayo Clinic, pseudogout is “a form of arthritis characterized by sudden, painful swelling in one or more of your joints.” Gregorius last played for the Phillies on May 12th.
Phillies Sign Brock Stassi
The Phillies have signed first baseman Brock Stassi to a minor league contract, per an announcement from the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Stassi had played in thirteen games with the Ducks before earning his way back into the affiliated ranks. He’ll be assigned to Double-A Reading.
Stassi (the older brother of Angels catcher Max Stassi) is most well known for his previous stint with the Phillies. The former 33rd-round pick and six-year minor league veteran broke camp with the Phils in 2017 and picked up fairly regular playing time over the season’s first month. Stassi didn’t produce much in that limited time, hitting just .167/.278/.295 with a pair of homers over ninety plate appearances.
Philadelphia outrighted Stassi off the roster near the end of that season. He’s hooked on with the Giants and Twins in recent years but hasn’t made it back to the big leagues. The 31-year-old has a .264/.364/.403 line in parts of four seasons at Triple-A, and he’s compiled a similar .271/.356/.404 mark at Double-A.
Didi Gregorius Suffers Minor Setback In Rehab From Elbow Impingement
- Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius suffered a setback in his rehab process from a right elbow impingement, manager Joe Girardi told reporters (including Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia). It doesn’t seem to be particularly worrisome, as Girardi said it was “a little stiffness and a little soreness” and that the organization is still hoping to get him back in relatively short order. It’s been a tough season for Gregorius, who hit just .229/.266/.364 in 128 plate appearances before landing on the IL last month.
Phillies Reinstate, Option Adam Haseley
- The Phillies recalled Enyel De Los Santos from Triple-A, optioning catcher Rafael Marcan to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, per the team. Outfielder Adam Haseley was also reinstated from the restricted list and optioned to Triple-A.
Phillies Outright Brady Lail
The Phillies announced Thursday that right-hander Brady Lail has been assigned outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. That announcement indicates that he went unclaimed on waivers.
As MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki points out (via Twitter), the Phils need to make a 40-man move in order to open a spot for Adam Haseley‘s reinstatement from the restricted list by Saturday. Haseley has been on the restricted list since April 14 after stepping away from the team due to undisclosed personal matters. He returned to the organization in mid-May and had a 30-day window to get up to speed in Triple-A.
Lail, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Mariners back on May 23 and has yet to appear in the big leagues. He tossed a scoreless frame in his organizational debut with Lehigh Valley’s IronPigs, but Lail was tagged for five runs his next time out and surrendered another two runs in his third outing with the Phillies’ top affiliate.
Lail has spent the bulk of his career with the Yankees organization but began to bounce around the league in journeyman fashion in 2019. He’s since been with the White Sox and Mariners, in addition to the Phillies. Lail has strong numbers up through the Double-A level in the minors but has been hit hard in Triple-A and in the big leagues. Through 21 MLB frames, he has an even 6.00 ERA and has surrendered seven home runs.
Didi Gregorius Begins Triple-A Rehab Assignment
- Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius will begin a Triple-A rehab assignment on Wednesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com tweets. Gregorius has been out for almost a month with a right hip impingement, having not taken the field since May 12. Between the injury and his .229/.266/.364 line in 128 PA, it’s been a less-than-ideal campaign for Gregorius, whom the Phillies re-signed to a two-year, $28MM contract in the winter.
Phillies Select Luke Williams
The Phillies have selected the contract of infielder Luke Williams from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Philadelphia also reinstated right-handers Chase Anderson and David Hale from the COVID-19 injured list, optioned lefty Cristopher Sanchez and placed reliever Brandon Kintzler on the 10-day IL (retroactive to Monday) with a neck strain.
This is the first major league opportunity for Williams, a 24-year-old who has been with the Phillies since they drafted him in Round 3 in 2015. Williams now ranks as the Phillies’ 29th-best prospect at MLB.com, which compliments his high-end speed, defensive versatility and improving offense. Indeed, in his Triple-A debut this year, Williams has slashed a marvelous .352/.439/.465 with three stolen bases in 82 plate appearances.
Kintzler, meanwhile, has gotten off to a rough start this year after joining the Phillies on a minor league contract in the winter. The 36-year-old previously established himself as a competent reliever with multiple teams, but he has only managed an 8.50 ERA in 18 innings this season. To Kintzler’s credit, he has continued to induce groundballs and limit walks at above-average clips, and his 3.47 SIERA suggests better days may be ahead.
Phillies Outright Scott Kingery
The Phillies announced that they have reinstated infielder/outfielder Scott Kingery from the injured list and outrighted him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Kingery cleared waivers and is no longer part of the Phillies’ 40-man roster, though he’s still with the organization.
Needless to say, this is not what the Phillies had in mind when they signed Kingery to a six-year, $24MM guarantee entering the 2018 season. Kingery hadn’t even played in the majors at that point, making his deal the largest for anyone who hadn’t yet appeared in the bigs. The former second-round pick was a top-tier prospect then, which led the Phillies to gamble on locking him up at what they thought were team-friendly prices for the long haul. He’s earning $4MM this year, and the club owes him a combined $15MM from 2022-24 (including a $1MM buyout for the last of those seasons).
While Kingery’s pact also includes team options ranging from $13MM to $15MM from 2024-26, it seems doubtful he’ll ever rake in that money. After all, the 27-year-old has failed to establish himself as a viable major leaguer, having batted just .229/.280/.387 with 30 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 1,127 plate appearances. Kingery, who’s just 1-for-19 with 12 strikeouts in the bigs this season, hasn’t played with the Phillies since May 16. He’ll now have to try to make his way back to their roster via Triple-A, where he’s a .291/.330/.453 hitter across 307 trips to the plate.
COVID Notes: 6/6/21
The latest on the coronavirus-related situations around the league:
- The Phillies announced they’ve placed right-handers Chase Anderson and David Hale on the COVID-19 injured list. Lefty Cristopher Sánchez was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, while reliever Héctor Neris was reinstated from the paternity list in corresponding moves. Anderson has made eleven appearances (eight starts) this season, pitching to a 7.34 ERA/5.21 SIERA. Hale, meanwhile, has managed a 5.64 ERA/4.20 SIERA over 13 appearances.