Phillies Sign Jonathan Lucroy, Greg Bird
The Phillies have signed catcher Jonathan Lucroy and first baseman Greg Bird to minor league contracts, Matt Gelb of The Athletic tweets. The two will report to the team’s alternate site, and because they’re joining the 60-man player pool on the day of the Sept. 15 postseason eligibility deadline, they will be eligible for playoff rosters if the Phillies make it.
The Phillies are banged up at catcher and first base, so this is a late effort by the club to add depth as the posteason nears. Philadelphia’s 24-23 and on track for a playoff spot, though starting catcher J.T. Realmuto hasn’t played since Sept. 12 because of hip problems, and first baseman Rhys Hoskins went to the IL on Monday as a result of a left UCL injury.
Lucroy, like Realmuto is now, was one of the majors’ best catchers in his heyday. However, the former Brewers standout has fallen on hard times offensively and defensively with a few teams over the past couple years. The Red Sox released Lucroy on Tuesday, which came after he totaled one plate appearance with the club this season.
Bird was a high-profile prospect with the Yankees not too long ago, and he made an encouraging debut in 2015, but a series of injuries have helped derail his career since then. Bird was previously with the Rangers, who designated him for assignment in August. The 27-year-old could now reunite with Joe Girardi, who managed the Yankees at the beginning of Bird’s career and is now the Phillies’ skipper.
Phillies To Place Rhys Hoskins On 10-Day IL
The Phillies will place first baseman Rhys Hoskins on the 10-day injured list with a left UCL injury, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. In better news for the club, catcher J.T. Realmuto (hip flexor) will avoid the IL, while right-hander Zack Wheeler (finger) should return to the mound this week.
The Hoskins news continues a rough few days for the Phillies, who have dropped three in a row – including a 6-2 defeat to the Marlins on Monday. The 27-year-old Hoskins hasn’t played since Saturday, when he suffered a forearm injury, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to take the field again this season. Time’s running out in 2020 for him and the Phillies, who are an even 23-23 but are still in possession of a playoff spot in the National League.
If Philly does break its eight-year playoff drought this season, it’ll have Hoskins to thank to some extent. Although Hoskins is stuck in an 0-for-10 slump, he has slashed a rather effective .245/.384/.503 (138 wRC+) with 10 home runs in 185 plate appearances. That’ll be tough production for the Phillies to replace in the season’s final couple weeks, especially considering Hoskins has played almost every game at first for the team this base. Otherwise, only the now-gone Neil Walker and the historically light-hitting Phil Gosselin have lined up there for the Phillies.
Neil Walker Elects Free Agency
The Phillies announced that veteran infielder Neil Walker, whom they designated for assignment last Friday, has elected free agency after clearing waivers. Philadelphia also reinstated Scott Kingery from the injured list and optioned lefty Ranger Suarez to the alternate training site.
Walker, 35, struggled to a .231/.244/.308 slash through 18 games and 41 plate appearances prior to being designated on Friday. The Phils opted to swap him out for fellow infielder Ronald Torreyes, who gives them an option at shortstop — a position not in Walker’s repertoire — and to provide better overall glovework at other spots around the infield.
Although Walker wasn’t particularly sharp with the Phillies, he notched a solid .261/.344/.395 batting line with the Marlins just last year. He was also a consistently productive hitter from 2010-17, slashing a combined .273/.342/.439 in 4294 plate appearances between the Pirates, Mets and Brewers. He’ll be eligible to sign with any club for the duration of the season should he choose. If he does latch on with a new club by tomorrow, he’d still be eligible for his new club’s postseason roster.
Rhys Hoskins To Undergo MRI For Forearm Injury
Rhys Hoskins sat out both games of the Phillies’ doubleheader with the Marlins today due to an “achy forearm,” as manager Joe Girardi described the problem to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Corey Seidman and other reporters. X-rays were negative on Hoskins’ forearm, though he will undergo an MRI perhaps as early as Monday.
This is the latest in a swarm of bad injury news that has hit the Phillies in just the last two days. Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, and Spencer Howard (the only one on the injured list for now) have all been sidelined with various issues, and the seriousness of any of these injuries has yet to be truly determined.
The good news in Hoskins’ case is that he told The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro and other reporters that his forearm was already feeling better today after receiving some treatment, and (assuming the MRI is clean) hopefully can return to the lineup as early as Monday. Hoskins said he suffered the injury while trying to make a catch in Saturday’s game.
The first baseman has been one of Philadelphia’s best hitters, batting .245/.384/.503 with 10 home runs over 185 plate appearances. After bursting onto the scene in 2017, Hoskins’ hard-hit ball numbers had been on the decline in 2018-19, though Statcast indicates he is again making strong contact. Hoskins’ 14.8% barrel rate puts him in the 92nd percentile of all players, while his .388 xwOBA puts him in the 90th percentile. Mostly importantly, Hoskins is just about making the most of that contact, with a .376 xOBA only slightly below his xwOBA. The slugger has also continued to capitalize on free passes, posting one of the league’s better walk rates for the second consecutive season.
J.T. Realmuto Leaves Game Due To Hip Discomfort
TODAY: Realmuto is day-to-day for now, and will undergo an MRI, Girardi told Montemurro and other reporters.
SEPTEMBER 12: If an early exit from Spencer Howard wasn’t worrisome enough for the Phillies, they’re now sweating a potentially even more costly injury. Catcher J.T. Realmuto felt “hip discomfort” while running the bases in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 12-6 win over the Marlins, manager Joe Girardi told The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro and other reporters.
Realmuto was still able to field his position in the bottom half of the inning but was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth. Realmuto will be re-examined tomorrow, and given the circumstances, it could be that the Phils were just being cautious in removing a star player in the final inning of a one-sided game.
Needless to say, of course, losing Realmuto for any stretch of time would be a huge blow to a Philadelphia team that is trying to lock down (at minimum) a playoff berth and still has hopes of catching the Braves for first place in the NL East. Realmuto has been his usual outstanding self, entering tonight’s game with 11 home runs and a .274/.361/.541 slash line over his first 166 plate appearances. Realmuto’s .903 OPS represents a career best, with the obvious caveat that a “career best” has an asterisk in this shortened season.
Andrew Knapp is the Phillies’ backup catcher, and none of the three backstops at their alternate training site (Henri Lartigue, Rafael Marchan, Logan O’Hoppe) have any MLB experience. In the worst-case scenario of a Realmuto IL trip, it seems like the Phillies would be very likely to sign a veteran catcher to act as Knapp’s backup.
Phillies Place Spencer Howard On Injured List
SEPTEMBER 13: The Phillies are placing Howard on the 10-day injured list, the club announced. Reliever Connor Brogdon is up from the alternate site to replace Howard on the active roster. Additionally, right-hander Ramón Rosso has been added to the roster as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader against the Marlins. He’ll get the start in the first game of the twin bill.
SEPTEMBER 12: Phillies right-hander Spencer Howard left tonight’s game in the fourth inning due to stiffness in his throwing shoulder, the team announced. Howard had just allowed a three-run homer to the Marlins’ Brian Anderson before being visited on the mound by manager Joe Girardi and a team trainer before departing the game.
Any sort of arm problem for a pitcher obviously isn’t good news, and a shoulder issue is of particular concern in Howard’s case — as The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro pointed out, a similar injury caused Howard to miss two months of the 2019 season. If the problem here is truly just stiffness or discomfort, it’s possible Howard could be back after just a missed start or perhaps an extra day or two of rest, but naturally the Phillies will be as cautious as possible in making sure the star prospect is healthy.
Saturday’s abbreviated outing has been indicative of Howard’s struggles over his first taste of the majors, as the righty took a 5.66 ERA into tonight’s start against Miami. Howard had a 2.25 K/BB rate and 7.8 K/9 over his first 20 2/3 innings, with his BABIP (.343) and xwOBA (.334, compared to a .380 wOBA) indicating at least some bad luck. Anderson’s home run tonight, however, was already the sixth long ball surrendered by Howard this season, and he has been hit hard in his second or third times through opposing lineups.
Howard’s prospect pedigree notwithstanding, it isn’t unexpected that a 24-year-old rookie who had never pitched above Double-A ball would have some struggles in his first MLB season. If Howard has to miss time, however, it leaves the Phillies short an arm in the midst of a stretch of 18 games in 14 days. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler have been carrying an otherwise shaky Philadelphia rotation, though Wheeler may be questionable to make his next start due to a nasty fingernail injury.
Latest On Zack Wheeler
9:41PM: Wheeler will indeed miss his Monday start, Girardi told Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic and other reporters, though the righty may not be out of action for long. Girardi feels Wheeler will be able to start during the Phillies’ upcoming series with the Mets, which runs from Tuesday, Sept. 15 to Thursday, Sept. 17.
12:11PM: Zack Wheeler may miss his scheduled start on Monday after he “ripped the nail bed from his middle finger,” writes The Athletic’s Matt Gelb (via Twitter). Interestingly, Wheeler has dealt with a version of this issue his whole career. The Phillies’ right-hander puts undue pressure on his middle finger when he throws, often cracking the nail, per Gelb. In this particular instance, however, Wheeler caught the nail on his jeans and ripped it free. While Gelb says, “It’s not good,” he also gives Wheeler a chance to make his scheduled start on Monday.
In his first season with the Phillies, Wheeler has maintained the success he enjoyed in his final two seasons as a Met, perhaps even taking his dominance a step further. Wheeler boasts a 4-0 record through 8 starts with a 2.47 ERA/3.11 FIP. He’s been everything the Phillies could have hoped for after inking him to a five-year, $118MM deal this offseason.
Slotting Wheeler into the top of the rotation has transformed the Philly starting five into a top-10 unit. Their 3.87 ERA ranks 9th in the majors, 3.83 FIP is tied for 4th in the game, and their 4.9 fWAR is tied for 3rd overall. Last season’s rotation finished 15th, 17th, and 13th by the same metrics.
Phillies Designate Neil Walker, Select Ronald Torreyes
The Phillies announced Friday that they’ve designated veteran infielder Neil Walker for assignment and swapped him out for fellow veteran Ronald Torreyes, whose contract has been selected from their alternate training site. Additionally, southpaw Adam Morgan has been reinstated from the injured list, and righty Ramon Rosso is up as the 29th man for today’s twin bill.
Walker, who turned 35 yesterday, beat out a crowded field to secure a bench spot with the Phillies during Summer Camp. In addition to Torreyes, the Phils had Josh Harrison, Logan Forsythe, Phil Gosselin and T.J. Rivera on minor league deals. Walker and Gosselin won backup spots, but Walker struggled to a .231/.244/.308 slash through 18 games and 41 plate appearances prior to today’s move.
Obviously, Walker wasn’t a heavily used piece in Philadelphia, where top prospect Alec Bohm has impressed through his first 25 big league games at third base. With Jean Segura holding his own at second base and Rhys Hoskins raking at first, playing time has been hard to come by for Walker. The addition of Torreyes in his place will give the club another option to handle shortstop — one of the few positions that Walker has never played at the MLB level.
Although Walker didn’t hit much in his short time with Philly, he’s just a season removed from posting a solid .261/.344/.395 batting line in a utility role with the Marlins. And, of course, Walker was a consistently strong producer from 2010-17, when he hit a combined .273/.342/.439 in just shy of 4300 plate appearances between the Pirates, Mets and Brewers.
The 28-year-old Torreyes, meanwhile, will be reunited with former Yankees skipper Joe Girardi. Torreyes was a fan favorite with the Yanks from 2016-18 when he hit .281/.308/.374 through 221 games as an oft-used bench piece. He spent the 2019 season in the Twins organization but hit poorly in Triple-A and saw only a very brief look in the big leagues.
Phillies Notes: Bruce, Weaver
- The Phillies expect outfielder/designated hitter Jay Bruce to return this month, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays. Bruce has been on the IL twice with quad problems going back to August, and his most recent placement came Sept. 6. He was a good power source before then with a .225/.276/.578 line and six home runs in 76 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Philly’s hopeful that left-handed reliever Jose Alvarez will make it back if they earn a playoff spot. Alvarez threw 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball before taking a 105 mph line drive off the groin on Aug. 20.
Phillies Recall Connor Brogdon, Option Mauricio Llovera
The Phillies recalled right-hander Connor Brogdon from their alternate training site in Lehigh Valley today while optioning fellow righty Mauricio Llovera, the team announced.
Brogdon, 25, made three appearances earlier this season for Philly, sandwiching a scoreless inning against Boston between two rough outings against the Orioles and Blue Jays, respectively. A 10th-round pick in 2017, Brogdon pitched at three levels in the Phillies’ system in 2019, finishing the year in Triple-A. He appeared in 51 games combined with a 2.61 ERA across 76 innings, showing an ability to work multi-inning stints if need be. Not necessarily considered a top prospect in part because of his role coming out of the pen, Brogdon nonetheless came in as Philadelphia’s #28 ranked prospect by Baseball America at the start of the season. Brogdon mostly relied on a 92-96 mph heater and a sinking change-up, though he could unlock further potential if he can find consistency with his occasional slider.
Llovera slotted in one spot behind Brogdon as the Phillies’ 29th ranked prospect. Forearm soreness has been a concern in the past, and he’s shuffled between starting and relieving as a result, but at his best, Llovera can hit triple digits and profiles as a power reliever. The 24-year-old Venezuelan made just one appearance for the Phillies this year, serving up four runs on five hits in just an inning of work. Still, his future remains relatively bright if he can stay healthy and continue to miss bats.