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Bryce Harper Fractures Left Thumb

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June 26: As expected, the team announced that Moniak has been recalled with Harper officially placed on the 10-day injured list.

June 25: Bryce Harper’s season may be in jeopardy, after the reigning NL MVP suffered a fractured thumb in Saturday’s game against the Padres.  Facing Blake Snell in the fourth inning, Harper had to duck to avoid a 97mph fastball that sailed up and in, but the pitch still hit Harper in his left hand, leaving the Phillies slugger in visible pain.

Harper immediately left the game, and the Phillies announced shortly afterwards that initial tests revealed the fracture.  More details will be known after further tests take place, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including The Athletic’s Matt Gelb) that it is too soon to tell if Harper will need surgery.  As such, the door isn’t closed on a potential Harper return, as Dombrowski is “hopeful he’ll be back at some point.”

If surgery is required, Harper is in danger of missing the remainder of the 2022 campaign.  While every specific injury is different, for comparion’s sake, Jean Segura was given a recovery timeline of 10-12 weeks after the Philadelphia second baseman suffered his own fractured finger in late May and had to undergo surgery.

Losing Segura was a brutal enough outcome for the Phils, yet the team rebounded to post its best month of the season.  The Phillies had a 22-29 record under former manager Joe Girardi, but after Girardi was fired and Rob Thomson was elevated from bench coach to interim manager, Philadelphia promptly went on a 15-6 run over Thomson’s first 21 games as skipper.

Bryce HarperThat run got the Phillies back up over the .500 mark (37-35) heading into tonight’s action, and three games out of an NL wild card berth.  However, it is hard to imagine Philadelphia staying in the race without Harper’s contributions to an overall underwhelming lineup.  With Harper and Segura out, Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins are the only regulars hitting well above average.

Harper has already been playing through pain, as a small UCL tear has limited him to DH duty for over two months.  In the big picture, Harper monopolizing the DH spot hasn’t helped Philadelphia, as Schwarber and Nick Castellanos have been forced into everyday corner-outfield roles, much to the detriment of the Phillies’ defense.  (And possibly Castellanos’ offense, as he has had an underwhelming year at the plate.)  On the plus side, Harper’s own bat has still been on fire, as he carried 15 home runs and a .320/.385/.602 slash line into tonight’s game against the Padres.

Harper’s UCL tear further complicates matters.  If the Phils fall behind in the postseason race, Harper might decide to stop delaying the inevitable and get elbow surgery, thus shutting him down for 2022 but likely ensuring that he’d miss little or none of the 2023 season.

Injuries have long been a subplot of Harper’s career, yet he has been relatively durable in recent years, playing in 515 of a possible 546 games from 2018-21.  Through it all, Harper has continued to produce at a Cooperstown-ian level, including his MVP campaign last year.  After previously winning NL MVP honors with the Nationals in 2015, Harper became the fifth player in baseball history to win an MVP on multiple teams, as he hit .309/.429/.615 with 35 home runs and a league-best 42 doubles with the Phillies last season.

Unfortunately, that production could only help the Phils to an 82-80 record — enough to snap a streak of nine consecutive non-winning seasons, but not enough to get the club back into the playoffs.  Harper’s 13-year, $330MM contract makes him an easy target for criticism, yet the Phillies’ lack of on-field success is hardly Harper’s fault, given his huge numbers over three-plus years in Philadelphia.

In the near term, Harper’s absence frees up the DH spot for a Schwarber/Castellanos timeshare, which can create an opportunity for a big defensive upgrade.  Dombrowski said that Mickey Moniak is being called up to take Harper’s spot on the active roster, though Moniak is hardly an ideal everyday solution.  For now, the Phillies’ plan would seem to consist of having one of Castellanos or Schwarber at DH in a regular lineup, the other in a corner outfield spot, and a rotation of Moniak, Odubel Herrera, and Matt Vierling covering the other two outfield positions.  Down on the farm, Scott Kingery, Justin Williams, Jorge Bonifacio, and Dustin Peterson are all options, though none are on the 40-man roster.

A trade would be one way for the Phillies to address the situation, as even if Harper is gone for the season, the Phils aren’t immediately going to wave the white flag on their chances of finally ending their playoff drought.  That said, Dombrowski could wait on Harper’s status before determining the extent of a future move — if Harper could avoid surgery, that could increase the chances of the Phillies acquiring a more proven everyday outfielder, rather than perhaps a complementary piece.

For Phillies fans looking for a silver lining, the obvious comp is the 2021 Braves, who were only 44-44 when Ronald Acuna Jr. tore his ACL last July 10.  While Atlanta seemed doomed, the Braves instead revamped their outfield mix by trading for Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, and Jorge Soler prior to the trade deadline, and ended up rolling all the way to a World Series championship.

While it may be far-fetched to think that such a scenario could happen for another NL East team in a second consecutive season, Dombrowski is no stranger to aggressive roster shuffling.  The way the Phillies have rebounded in June has breathed new life into the team’s season, and it would take an immediate and sudden downturn for Philadelphia to shift into seller mode before the deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Phillies Select Mark Appel

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6:11PM: The Phillies have officially selected Appel’s contract and placed Brogdon on the COVID-IL.

8:10AM: The Phillies announced to reporters, including Matt Gelb of The Athletic, that they are placing right-hander Connor Brogdon on the COVID-related injured list. Taking his place on the roster will be fellow righty Mark Appel.

Whenever Appel gets into a game, it will be his MLB debut, thus concluding one of the more unique journeys to the big leagues. As the Astros were in the midst of a years-long rebuild, they racked up a number of premium draft picks, which they were able to use to select players like George Springer, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman. Those players ended up forming a huge part of the core of the team, which would go on to make the playoffs in six out of the past seven seasons and is likely to do so again this year, including the now-controversial 2017 World Series championship. One that didn’t quite go as planned for the club, however, was the selection of Appel with the first overall draft pick in 2013.

Appel had actually been selected twice before but wasn’t signed. The Tigers selected him out of high school in the 15th round back in 2009, though Appel wound up going to Stanford instead. By the time 2012 rolled around, Appel was seen as the top talent in the draft, but he came with signability concerns. The Pirates selected him eighth overall but Appel indeed returned to Stanford. Once drafted and signed by the Astros, Appel was instantly considered one of the top prospects in the game, with Baseball America ranking him #39 in 2014 and then #31 in 2015. However, Appel’s numbers seemed to slip as he reached the higher levels of the minors. In 2015, between Double-A and Triple-A, his ERA came in at a middling 4.37, along with a strikeout rate of just 19.1% and walk rate of 8.9%. On the heels of that season, the Astros traded Appel and four other prospects to the Phillies for Ken Giles and Jonathan Arauz.

The change of scenery didn’t seem to help much, as Appel dealt with injuries and underperformance in the Phillies’ organization. He was selected to the club’s 40-man roster prior to the 2017 season but was designated for assignment and outrighted at the end of that campaign. In February of 2018, Appel decided to step away from baseball, opening up about his decision in a candid interview. However, in March of last year, it was reported that Appel was attempting a comeback attempt, after missing three entire seasons.

In 2021, Appel split his time between Double-A and Triple-A, throwing 71 1/3 innings. He managed just a 6.06 ERA, though some rust would certainly be understandable after such a long layoff. He started 15 of his 23 appearances last year but has switched over to relief entirely in 2022, with much improved results. In 19 Triple-A appearances this season, he’s thrown 28 frames with a 1.61 ERA, along with a 21.8% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and 47.3% ground ball rate. Based on that performance, he’s now getting the call he’s waited so long to receive.

In spite of all the twists and turns on that journey, Appel is now just 30 years old, turning 31 in about three weeks. This selection to the big league roster is a testament to his determination and perseverance. The hurler himself took to Twitter and attempted to sum up his feelings on this incredible day. “Completely overwhelmed. I have so many thoughts I want to share but can’t find the words, so I’ll just say this: I’m thankful. Today, I get to play a game I love as a Major League Baseball player.”

Phillies Notes: Bullpen, Dominguez, Harper, O’Hoppe

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After a rough start to their season, the Phillies have bounced back recently and now sit just 2 1/2 games outside the playoffs in the National League. As the August 2 trade deadline approaches, the club will be looking to bolster its relief corps, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

That’s not exactly shocking, as the club has been dealing with bullpen issues for years. This season, their relievers have a collective ERA of 4.23, which places them 20th in the majors. Advanced metrics are a bit kinder, with the Phils limboing just under 4.00 when it comes to FIP and SIERA. Still, even competitors with solid bullpens will usually make midseason additions, and it seems the Phillies will not be an exception.

The club’s bullpen has already gotten a big boost from within, as Seranthony Dominguez has looked excellent in his return from Tommy John surgery. Through 26 2/3 innings this year, he has a 1.69 ERA, 34.7% strikeout rate, 6.9% walk rate and 48.3% ground ball rate. He’s already logged a save and ten holds on the year. He spoke to Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer about his recovery time and how he spent much of it studying games, both Philly games and others. “When I watched these games, I would try to imagine myself there,” he says. “Thinking about what I would do to beat the opposing team.” That research seems to be paying off, based on how his season is going so far. As for his role, he says he’d like to be the closer, if he were given the opportunity. “It’s a very important job. I’m ready to do whatever I’m asked to do to help.” The team leader in saves is Corey Knebel with 11, though his recent struggles got him bumped from the job, creating an opening for Dominguez.

Turning to the lineup, Coffey relays that Bryce Harper will have his elbow re-evaluated next week. Harper received a PRP injection in May due to a small tear in his UCL. After missing a few games due to that injection, Harper has been able to hit but not throw, relegating him to DH duty. He’s been his same tremendous self with the bat, hitting .320/.385/.602 for a wRC+ 166 on the season, though it’s forced the club to use Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos in the field much more frequently than they would have envisioned a few months ago. The club was expected to be weak defensively, but the Harper injury only exacerbated the issue. The club’s Defensive Runs Saved for the year is -25, ahead of only the Nationals. If Harper can get back to the field, that will surely help them make improvements there.

Despite those issues, the club is hovering around the playoff race and could be buyers at the deadline. They doesn’t have a strong crop of prospects to trade from, however, with Baseball America recently ranking the system 23rd among MLB teams. Matt Gelb of The Athletic suggests that one logical solution would be to consider trading catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe. With J.T. Realmuto ensconced as the club’s backstop through 2025 and many DH types also on hand, it will be challenging for O’Hoppe to force his way into the lineup in the coming seasons. The young catcher has spent the entire season in Double-A to this point, but is making a strong case for a promotion to Triple-A. Through 59 games, he’s hitting .273/.381/.531 for an incredible 151 wRC+.

Though it would surely hurt to part with such a talented prospect, the Phillies might have to decide to pull such a lever in the coming months. They spent aggressively this offseason, crossing the luxury tax threshold for the first time in an attempt to break a postseason drought that’s gone on since 2011. If they can continue to weather their bullpen and defense issues and stay afloat in the race, a bold move might be required to push them through the final months.

Phillies Release Kyle Dohy

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The Phillies have released left-hander Kyle Dohy from his minor league contract, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. He will head back to the open market and look for opportunities elsewhere.

A 16th round pick of the Phils in 2017, the southpaw fared well enough in the lower minors to earn some attention from prospect evaluators. Baseball America ranked him the #15 prospect in the system in 2019, while FanGraphs placed him towards the back of their lists from 2019-2021.

However, as Dohy has reached the upper levels of the minors, he’s continually struggled with a lack of control. Last year, he threw 42 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.95 ERA. That came with an incredible 35.1% strikeout rate but a concerning 15.1% walk rate. The strikeout rate was tantalizing enough that he got the call to the majors late last year, though he got to throw just a single inning. At the end of the season, he was non-tendered and re-signed to a minor league deal.

This year, he’s thrown 17 innings in Triple-A with a 7.41 ERA. Control seems to be a factor again, as his walk rate is 16.9%, against a 28.1% strikeout rate. There’s surely some misfortune in there as well, given his .426 BABIP and 58.5% strand rate, but the Phillies have evidently seen enough to move on and give opportunities to other hurlers.

Despite those struggles, there are reasons to believe Dohy could attract the interest of other teams. He’s racked up incredible strikeout numbers everywhere he’s pitched, for one thing. He’s also still just 25 years old, perhaps giving some scouts hope that there’s still time to refine his skillset. He also has options and just nine days of MLB service time, meaning he could be a long-term play for a club looking to bolster its left-handed relief.

Twins Trade Daniel Robertson To Phillies

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The Phillies have acquired utilityman Daniel Robertson from the Twins in exchange for cash, according to both teams’ transaction logs at MLB.com. There’s been no formal announcement of the move by either club just yet.

It’s likely a depth move for the Phillies, who’ve lost Jean Segura (surgery to repair broken finger), Johan Camargo (knee strain) and Nick Maton (shoulder sprain) to the injured list since the calendar flipped to June. Robertson wasn’t on the 40-man roster with the Twins, and there’s no indication as of yet that the Phillies plan to select him to the big leagues at this time.

The trio of Phillies injuries has led to Didi Gregorius and top prospect Bryson Stott splitting middle-infield duties, with the former rebounding (somewhat) from an awful 2021 showing and the latter generally struggling to reach base in his first big league season. Gregorius’ power is nowhere to be seen, but he’s posted a .280/.345/.393 batting line through 119 plate appearances this season. Stott has begun to show some pop at the dish — four homers, two doubles in his past 19 games — but is still hitting just .215/.261/.431 in that stretch. The Phillies have also selected former Cardinals utilityman Yairo Munoz to the big league roster to add some depth to the bench, and Matt Vierling gives them another option — though he’s been used primarily as an outfielder thus far in his limited MLB work.

Robertson, 28, has appeared in parts of five Major League seasons, mostly with the Rays but also with the Giants (2020) and Brewers (2021). The former No. 34 overall draft pick (Athletics, 2012) looked to have broken out with the Rays in 2018 when he hit .262/.382/.415 in 340 plate appearances, but he’s posted just a .209/.317/.292 slash in 351 subsequent trips to the plate spanning the 2019-21 seasons. He’s appeared in 24 minor league games with the Twins and posted a combined e.220/.326/.390 batting line between their Complex League and Triple-A affiliates.

Robertson has played every position on the big league diamond other than catcher and center field, though he’s primarily spent his time at second base (816 innings), third base (601) and shortstop (569). In the estimation of defensive metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average, he’s drawn solid marks for his work at second base and below-average (but not awful) grades at those other two infield slots.

Roster Moves: Reds, Red Sox

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The Reds have placed reliever Alexis Diaz on the 15-day injured list, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Diaz has arguably been the Reds most reliable reliever so far this season, logging 30 innings over 27 appearances with a 2.40 ERA/3.94 FIP. No corresponding roster move has yet been made, but the Reds did make another roster move today…

  • The Reds recalled right-hander Dauri Moreta and optioned TJ Friedl to Triple-A, per the team. Moreta, 25, made 15 appearances but was hit hard to the tune of a 9.88 ERA/9.21 FIP over 13 2/3 innings. He posted better results in Triple-A with a 4.05 ERA in 15 appearances spanning 13 1/3 innings.
  • The Red Sox have officially added James Norwood to the active roster, the team announced. They acquired the right-handed reliever yesterday from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations. Kutter Crawford was optioned to Triple-A to create the roster spot. Crawford, 26, has started a pair of games and pitched eight times in relief with a 6.41 ERA/5.17 FIP covering 19 2/3 innings of work.

 

Red Sox Acquire James Norwood From Phillies For Cash Considerations

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The Red Sox have acquired right-handed pitcher James Norwood from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations, the Phillies announced.

The Phillies had previously designated Norwood for assignment, giving them a couple of days to find a taker. He had struggled with the Phillies, but nevertheless saw a fair amount of work. He made 20 appearances and pitched to an unfortunate 8.31 ERA. The other side of the coin is his 3.65 FIP, which suggests there could be a brighter future ahead for Norwood.

The Red Sox will see what they can coax out of Norwood. He has long had tantalizing stuff, but trouble with command. Across his 17 1/3 innings of work so far this season, he struck out 22 batters while walking nine. Those numbers aren’t bad, but he also surrendered 24 hits over that span. If he can get some batted ball luck in his direction, Norwood could find better results in Boston.

Phillies Remove Knebel From Closer Role

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Recently-minted Phillies manager Rob Thomson told Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia today that Corey Knebel is out as the team’s closer, for the time being. Signed to a one-year $10MM deal this past offseason, Knebel hasn’t demonstrated the same sharpness he did in last year’s campaign with the Dodgers. While this season’s 3.24 ERA through 25 innings is plenty respectable, his 20.7% strikeout rate is far from his career average while his 14.4% walk rate ranks amongst the worst in the league. Knebel’s four blown saves also stand as the highest mark in the league at the moment.

After a messy May, the Phillies have surged with an 11-2 record thus far in June, bringing their season record above .500 to 32-31. Despite the recent hot stretch, the Phillies remain eight and a half games back of the first place Mets in their division and three and a half games back of the last NL wild card spot. A closer-by-committee approach figures to help the team stay in their groove, with Seranthony Dominguez and Brad Hand representing steadier options than Knebel thus far.

  • After optioning Mickey Moniak on Tuesday, the Phillies appear set to roll with a platoon of Matt Vierling and Odúbel Herrera in center field. The Athletic’s Matt Gelb speculates how the team may upgrade that arrangement given the feeble production from the first two players thus far, plus the questions that have plagued Herrera dating back to his 2019 suspension. Gelb lists Michael A. Taylor, Ramón Laureano, and Victor Robles as realistic trade targets for the club should they seek to plug a defense-first option between corner outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. The center field platoon’s production will be worth monitoring through the summer, as the Phillies have holes in the infield and bullpen as well but may not possess enough financial or prospect capital to address all three areas.
  • One center fielder who isn’t an option for the Phillies, or perhaps for any team much longer, is Lorenzo Cain. Speaking with Andy McCullough of The Athletic, the 36-year-old Brewer acknowledged the likelihood that this season may very well be his last in the major leagues. The two-time All-Star remains a strong defensive player and as affable a clubhouse personality as any, but admits to difficulties in elevating his offense at the ten-year mark of his career. To that end, a .168/.223/.226 showing through 41 games has already begun to cost him some playing time this season. For now though, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns remains in Cain’s corner, citing Cain’s defense and contributions to four straight years of playoff baseball in Milwaukee as reasons to exhibit patience.

Phillies Select Yairo Munoz, Option Mickey Moniak

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The Phillies have selected the contract of infielder Yairo Munoz from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and optioned center fielder Mickey Moniak back to Lehigh Valley in a corresponding 26-man roster move. Infielder Jean Segura was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Munoz. Segura suffered a broken finger a couple weeks back and is expected to miss up to 12 weeks of action as a result.

Munoz, 27, is hitting .319/.345/.454 in 172 plate appearances with the IronPigs so far in 2022. A solid utilityman with the Cardinals back in 2018, he’s struggled to recreate that year’s .276/.350/.413 output at the big league level. Munoz has consistently hit well against Triple-A pitching, though, and he’ll give the Phillies some additional infield cover with Segura, Johan Camargo and Nick Maton all on the injured list.

As for Moniak, the 24-year-old former No. 1 pick hasn’t gotten it going at the plate after getting a late start to the season due to a fractured hand suffered in Spring Training. He’s hit just .160/.250/.160 in a tiny sample of 25 plate appearances, and the Phils will give him a reset in Triple-A to try to get back on track there. At this point, it’s unlikely that Moniak ever matches the expectations so often associated with the top overall pick in the draft, but that doesn’t rule him out as a potentially useful contributor to the Phillies — either in 2022 or further down the road.

Phillies Designate James Norwood For Assignment

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The Phillies announced Monday that right-hander James Norwood has been designated for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for fellow right-hander Michael Kelly, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phils also reinstated catcher Rafael Marchan from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A.

Acquired from the Padres in an offseason deal that sent minor league infielder Kervin Pichardo to San Diego, Norwood has pitched 17 1/3 innings of relief out of the Philadelphia bullpen but has been tagged for 17 earned runs in that time. The damage hasn’t been confined to one or two poor outings, either, as Norwood has yielded runs in eight of his 20 appearances on the season so far. Overall, he’s yielded 24 hits (two of them homers) and nine walks while punching out 22 batters.

Norwood is out of minor league options — a large reason he was designated by the Padres in the first place — so the Phils couldn’t send him down without first designating him for assignment. They’ll have a week to try to trade him or pass him through outright waivers now. The former seventh-rounder has a decent track record in Triple-A, a fastball that averages just under 97 mph and a splitter that gets him plenty of chases and whiffs. Add in a decent track record in the upper minors, and it’s not out of the question that another bullpen-needy club would want to speculate via waiver claim or perhaps a small trade.

As for the 29-year-old Kelly, he’ll make his big league debut whenever he steps onto the mound for the first time. It’s the culmination of a 11-year baseball odyssey for the 2011 No. 48 overall pick. Originally selected by the Padres, Kelly also spent time with the Orioles, Astros and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League before joining the Phillies as a minor league free agent this winter. He’s pitched to a lackluster 5.00 ERA in 18 innings with the IronPigs so far, but Kelly has also punched out 33.8% of his opponents in that time.

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