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Rangers Trade Daniel Robert To Phillies

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The Rangers have traded right-hander Daniel Robert, whom they’d recently designated for assignment, to the Phillies in exchange for minor league right-hander Enrique Segura, per announcements from both clubs. The Phillies optioned Robert to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Robert, 30, made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2024 and pitched quite well in a small sample. He tossed 5 2/3 innings, holding opponents to two runs (3.18 ERA) on six hits and a pair of walks. He averaged just under 95 mph on his four-seamer, dodged hard contact of nearly any sort, and fanned six of his 26 opponents (23.1%).

It’s a tiny sample, of course, but Robert has also pitched well in the upper minors. It took several passes through Triple-A — he struggled there in 2022 and logged pedestrian numbers in 2023 before thriving in 2024 — but the recent results are impressive. Last year, Robert tossed 43 1/3 innings and notched a tidy 2.70 ERA. He punched out a weighty 31% of his opponents against a lower-than-average 7.7% walk rate. He’s picked up right where he left off so far in 2025, firing 11 2/3 frames with a 1.54 ERA, 34% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate.

Overall, Robert has a 2.45 ERA, 31.7% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 43.3% ground-ball rate in his past 55 Triple-A innings. That comes on top of his solid MLB debut in ’24. He’s averaged better than 95 mph during during that pair of Triple-A seasons and recorded a swinging-strike rate of nearly 14%. It’s been a nice run for the former 21st-round pick — who’s in the second of three minor league option years — making his DFA something of a surprise in the first place.

Given that recent run, it’s not a surprise that the Rangers were able to acquire a prospect in exchange for Robert — as opposed to the more common cash swaps we see involving players who’ve been designated for assignment. Segura entered the 2025 season ranked 21st among Phillies prospects, per FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen. He’s coming off a season in which he pitched well for six games with the Rangers’ Rookie-level club before moving up to Class-A at just 19 years old (about three years younger than the average player in that league).

Segura was hit hard in A-ball, as one might expect, but he’s been more effective there so far in 2025, his age-20 campaign. He posted a combined 5.76 earned run average in 75 minor league frames last year, all coming as a starter. This year, he’s tossed 17 innings with a 4.24 ERA, 25% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate. Those early rate stats represent modest gains over his 2024 levels (22 K%, 11.4 BB%).

Longenhagen highlights Segura’s projectable frame as reason to believe his stuff might play up as he continues to mature. That, paired with a smooth and repeatable delivery that is quite deceptive for right-handed opponents in particular, pushed him into the middle tiers of the Phillies’ prospect rankings at FanGraphs. Baseball America tabbed Segura 28th in Philadelphia’s system a couple years back, praising that same projectable build, his mechanics, and the potential for a plus slider.

Segura is a project, to be sure, but he’s a better prospect than most who are flipped in DFA trades, which seems reflective of the intriguing numbers Robert has posted over the past calendar year.

Phillies To Activate Ranger Suarez On Sunday

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Ranger Suárez has made four rehab starts since beginning a minor league assignment three weeks ago. That includes 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball for Triple-A Lehigh Valley over the weekend. After building to 78 pitches, he’ll make his return to the majors this weekend. Manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer) that Suárez will be activated to start against Arizona on Sunday.

That may push Philadelphia to a six-man rotation. Thomson acknowledged yesterday that the Phils were considering moving to a six-man staff rather than bumping anyone to the bullpen (link via Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia). Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, Cristopher Sánchez and Taijuan Walker have combined for every Phils start this season.

Walker was the one who would have been ticketed for the bullpen had Suárez been healthy. He’d be the candidate to move back to relief, but he has pitched fairly well through his first five starts. Walker owns a 2.78 ERA across 22 2/3 innings. His 20% strikeout rate and 10% walk percentage are each a little worse than average, but he has allowed two or fewer runs in all but one of his outings. Walker has found a little extra velocity relative to last season. He’s averaging 92 MPH on both his four-seam and sinker after sitting around 91 a year ago.

Luzardo, Wheeler and Sánchez have all been excellent. Nola has struggled while operating with diminished velocity, but his rotation spot clearly isn’t any jeopardy. The Phils have already confirmed that Suárez will return to the rotation, while Sánchez’s recent forearm soreness seemingly amounted to nothing. The question is essentially whether the Phils feel Walker will be more valuable in a long relief role or taking the ball every sixth day.

Walker will make at least one more start. He’s tabbed as the probable pitcher tomorrow against Brad Lord in their series finale against Washington. Wheeler and Sánchez have gone over the past two days. The Phils will run with Luzardo, Nola and Suárez against the D-Backs. They’re off on Monday before a stretch of nine game days.

While the rotation has been a strength, Philadelphia’s relief group has struggled. Their bullpen entered play Wednesday with a 5.25 ERA that was better only the Nationals’ 7.47 mark. No bullpen has blown more leads than Philadelphia’s eight. José Alvarado, Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks (to a lesser extent) are the only Phils relievers who have pitched well. Righties Orion Kerkering and Jordan Romano, both of whom have worked in high-leverage spots, have each had particularly poor starts. Walker is unlikely to be an impact relief weapon, but he’d give Thomson another option in the middle to late innings if they move him back to the bullpen after tomorrow.

Looking Ahead To Club Options: NL East

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MLBTR continues our division by division look at next year’s team/mutual option class with the NL East. Only three teams in the division have such options, though Atlanta’s group of decisions involve some of the more notable players in the class.

Previous installments: player options/opt-outs, NL West, AL West, NL Central, AL Central

Atlanta Braves

This is the final guaranteed season of the $35MM extension which Albies signed early in 2019. The deal was widely considered a massively team-friendly contract the day it happened, and that has proven to be the case. Albies has made a pair of All-Star teams, won two Silver Slugger Awards, and twice found his name on MVP ballots over the course of the deal.

There’s no intrigue to this one. The Braves will exercise the option, which ends up being a $3MM investment after factoring in the $4MM buyout. There will be another $7MM club option (with no buyout) for 2027 that will probably be a similarly easy call. Albies’ offense has declined over the past two seasons, as he’s hitting just .246/.300/.398 in 553 plate appearances since the start of 2024. The $3MM difference between the option price and the buyout is low-end utility player money, though. Even if the Braves start to question whether Albies remains the answer at second base, there’d be surplus trade value.

Atlanta signed Arcia to a three-year, $7.3MM extension on the eve of the 2023 season. It looked like an odd move at the time, an unnecessary multi-year commitment for a likely utility infielder. Then Arcia broke out with an All-Star season while replacing Dansby Swanson as Atlanta’s everyday shortstop. The contract looked like a major coup for the front office.

Things have swung back in the opposite direction over the past year-plus. Arcia’s bat cratered last year, as he turned in a .218/.271/.354 line over 602 plate appearances. While the Braves stuck with him as their starting shortstop, he’s lost that role with a dismal start to the ’25 season. Arcia has hit .200 with eight strikeouts, one walk, and one extra-base hit (a double) through 31 trips. Nick Allen jumped him on the depth chart and has started the past five games. Arcia wouldn’t need to do much to convince the Braves to exercise an option that amounts to a $1MM decision, but he’s no longer a lock to even stick on the roster all season.

Johnson dominated over 24 appearances after being acquired from the Rockies at the 2023 deadline. The righty would have been one of the better setup men in the following free agent class, but the Braves signed him to a two-year extension with a $14.25MM guarantee to keep him off the market. He has made consecutive $7MM salaries and has a matching club option with a $250K buyout for next season.

It has worked out nicely. Johnson fired 56 1/3 innings of 3.67 ERA ball with a strong 28.4% strikeout rate last year. He has punched out 10 while allowing four runs through 9 1/3 frames to begin this season. His whiffs are slightly down, while opponents are making more hard contact than they did a season ago. Those are worth monitoring, but Johnson’s overall body of work in Atlanta consists of a 2.89 earned run average with 109 strikeouts over 89 1/3 innings. As of now, a $6.75MM price point seems like solid value.

Sale’s first season in Atlanta was brilliant. He posted an MLB-best 2.38 ERA while leading the National League with 225 strikeouts. He won his first career Cy Young award after finishing in the top six on seven occasions earlier in his career. He reestablished himself as an ace following some injury-plagued years. The trade in which he was acquired from the Red Sox for struggling second baseman Vaughn Grissom has been a steal.

The left-hander’s uneven start to 2025 has contributed to the Braves’ mediocre April. Sale has allowed 5.40 earned runs per nine through his first six outings. They’ve gone 3-3 in those contests. It’s largely the product of an inflated .400 batting average on balls in play against him. Sale’s 27.3% strikeout rate is down nearly five percentage points relative to last season, but it remains a well above-average mark for a starting pitcher. He’s getting whiffs on 12.9% of his offerings. His slider has been as lethal as ever. Opponents have feasted on his fastball so far, but there’s no dramatic change in velocity or spin. While the poor start has probably tanked his chance of repeating as the Cy Young winner, the $18MM option still seems like an easy “yes” for the front office.

Miami Marlins

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New York Mets

Over the weekend, Raley reportedly agreed to terms with the Mets on a one-year deal with a club option. The signing has not been finalized, nor has the money been reported. Raley is working back from last May’s Tommy John surgery.

The Mets also re-signed Smith on a one-year deal with an option after TJS — a July operation, in his case. He’s making $1MM for what will probably be a completely lost season. The Mets get an affordable $2MM option for next season that they’re likely to exercise so long as Smith doesn’t suffer a setback. If they do pick it up, he could earn another $750K based on his appearance total next season. Smith would make $50K apiece at 30, 35, and 40 appearances; $75K for 45 and 50 games; $100K at 55 and 60 appearances; and $125K each for 65 and 70 games. He owns a 3.48 ERA over parts of six seasons as a quality middle reliever for New York.

Philadelphia Phillies

Alvarado signed for two years and $18.55MM in new money on a deal covering the 2024-25 seasons. He has made $9MM salaries in each of the past two years and has a matching option with a $500K buyout. That’s a little below the market rate for high-leverage relievers, which Alvarado has proven himself to be.

Over parts of five seasons with the Phils, the lefty carries a 3.34 earned run average. Bouts of wildness have led to some inconsistency, but he’s shown the ability to miss bats at plus rates while throwing as hard as any left-hander in the sport. Alvarado’s 24.4% strikeout rate last season was oddly pedestrian, but he’s fanned nearly 30% of batters faced in his career.

He has been back at peak form to begin this season. He has punched out 18 of 56 hitters (32.1%) while allowing only three runs through 13 2/3 innings. Alvarado has collected five saves and a pair of holds without blowing a lead, and he’s operating with career-best control (3.6% walk rate). It’s tough to envision him continuing to throw this many strikes — he walked more than 10% of opponents in seven consecutive years leading up to this one — but he’s the Phils’ most trusted reliever right now. This is tending towards an easy pickup.

Shortly before Opening Day last year, Strahm preemptively signed a one-year extension covering the 2025 season. The lefty is making $7.5MM this year and has a club/vesting option for next season. It begins as a $4.5MM team option. The price would jump by $1MM apiece if he reaches 40, 50 and 60 innings pitched this year. If he hits 60 innings and passes a postseason physical, it vests at $7.5MM. It’s a straight vesting option, not one with an opt-out, so Strahm would return on a guaranteed deal if it triggers.

That’s a result with which the Phillies would probably be happy. Strahm turned in an excellent ’24 campaign, working to a 1.87 ERA while striking out a third of opposing hitters over 66 appearances. He has fanned 15 through his first 11 2/3 frames this year. Strahm has surrendered five runs, four earned, on 11 hits and four walks. His 91.8 MPH average four-seam fastball is down from last season’s 93.4 mark, which is a little alarming, but the results have been solid and he remains one of the more reliable setup options for skipper Rob Thomson.

Washington Nationals

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Phillies, Diamondbacks Interested In Ryan Helsley

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The calendar has not yet even flipped to May, leaving more than three months to go until MLB’s trade deadline on July 31. That hasn’t stopped some teams from assessing their needs and even beginning to look into potential targets for the summer, however, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes that the Phillies and Diamondbacks both already have an eye on Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. There’s no indications that St. Louis is currently listening to offers on their closer, nor that either Philadelphia or Arizona has reached out to Cardinals brass at this point, though Nightengale goes on to suggest that Helsley is “likely” to be dealt prior to the deadline.

It’s easy to see why Helsley would be an attractive candidate for teams looking for a closer. The righty emerged as the Cardinals’ closer in 2022 and has been nothing short of dominant ever since, with a combined 1.83 ERA (225 ERA+), a 34.6% strikeout rate, and and 2.35 FIP to go with 83 saves over the past three years. Those numbers are nothing short of elite: Among all qualified relievers during that stretch, Helsley’s ERA is third (behind Emmanuel Clase and Devin Williams), his FIP is fourth (behind Williams, Matt Brash, and Edwin Diaz), his saves total ranks sixth, and his strikeout rate ranks eighth.

Those sensational numbers made Helsely a prime trade target for clubs in need of relief help over the winter, including Arizona and Toronto. The Cardinals seemingly rebuffed offers on their closer throughout the offseason, however, even as they opted not to discuss an extension with their closer as they shied away from making long-term commitments this winter. St. Louis’s 12-15 record puts them 4.5 games back of the Cubs in the NL Central and three games underwater. It’s still plenty early enough for virtually any team in the majors to go on a run and get themselves into the playoff conversation, but failing a surprise reversal in fortune a Cardinals front office that attempted to soft-launch a retooling over the offseason appears likely to sell rental pieces like Helsley this summer.

Should Helsley be dangled by the Cardinals later this year, they’ll surely find plenty of suitors. Toronto pivoted to sign Jeff Hoffman after they failed to land Helsley, and that decision is going swimmingly so far. The Diamondbacks did not find a closer over the offseason, however, so Nightengale’s report that they have continued interest in Helsley makes plenty of sense. That’s particularly true after A.J. Puk was shelved last week due to elbow inflammation that seems likely to keep him out of action for the foreseeable future, further denting a bullpen that relied primarily on Puk and Justin Martinez to close out games.

The Phillies, meanwhile, attempted to address the losses of Hoffman and Estevez in free agency by signing non-tendered Jays closer Jordan Romano. The 32-year-old had been one of the league’s top closing pitchers not long ago, with a 2.29 ERA and two All-Star appearances between 2020 and 2023. Things changed last year, however, as Romano battled elbow inflammation and pitched to an ugly 6.59 ERA in the 15 appearances he did make. That led the Jays to non-tender Romano, and the Phillies eventually snapped him up on an $8.5MM guarantee. That deal was signed with the idea that Romano would join lefties Jose Alvarado and Matt Strahm in the late innings for the Phillies this year, but things haven’t gone to plan as he’s allowed a whopping 15 runs (14 earned) in just 9 1/3 innings of work over 11 appearances.

It’s hardly a shock that such an ugly performance has inspired the Phillies to begin surveying closing possibilities on the trade market. The club’s core is continuing to age and with players like Ranger Suarez, Kyle Schwarber, and J.T. Realmuto set to hit free agency this winter the team could look extremely different this time next year. If 2025 proves to be the Phillies’ last opportunity to win with their current core, it would make sense to be aggressive in supplementing it this summer even as they enter play today with a relatively pedestrian 14-13 record. Adding a solid back-end reliever like Helsley, as they did when they dealt for Estevez last year, could go a long way to helping Philadelphia gear up for a playoff run in what looks to be an extremely competitive National League this year.

As sensible as the addition of a player like Helsley may be, Nightengale is quick to note that the Phillies aren’t interested in trading their very best and most impactful prospects. Specifically Nightengale writes that both Andrew Painter and Aidan Miller won’t be included in any trade, and that’s hardly a surprise given that both are well-regarded pieces with high ceilings who are already in the upper levels of the minors. It would be a shock if either of them were traded this summer and it’s almost unfathomable that either could ever be considered in a deal for a rental relief arm, even one as electric as Helsley.

Dave Dombrowski Discusses Phillies’ Offseason Talks With Jeff Hoffman

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Reports emerged back in December that the Phillies had interest in re-signing free agent reliever Jeff Hoffman, before Hoffman eventually landed with the Blue Jays on a three-year, $33MM contract in early January.  Phils president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber and other reporters this week that the club indeed had interest in a reunion with the All-Star, and “very aggressively” made an offer seemingly in range of Toronto’s offer early in the season.

“I can’t tell you that the number he ended up signing for was substantially different than the one that we ended up offering him,” Dombrowski said.  “But he wasn’t prepared to take that at that time. [Hoffman’s agents] just thought they were going to get much more.”

Hoffman technically did land more in two other offers — a three-year, $40MM agreement with the Orioles, and then a five-year deal with the Braves in the $45MM-48MM range that would’ve brought the righty more in overall value, if not average annual value.  However, Baltimore and Atlanta both walked away from those deals due to misgivings over Hoffman’s medicals.  The Braves’ issue wasn’t made public, but the Orioles had a concern over Hoffman’s right shoulder.  Notably, the O’s weren’t troubled enough to abandon their pursuit of Hoffman entirely, and made a new offer after taking their $40MM offer off the table.

The Athletic’s Matt Gelb paints a different picture of Philadelphia’s talks with Hoffman, as sources tell Gelb that the Phillies told agents that they were looking for relievers who would sign for one-year contracts.  This would naturally run entirely counter to Dombrowski’s claim of an offer in the three-year, $33MM range, and Gelb isn’t sure if the Phillies presented Hoffman with a formal offer whatsoever.  While the team did keep checking in Hoffman in the first month of the offseason, Gelb and Lauber writes that the Phillies stopped pursuing Hoffman once Jordan Romano signed in early December.

Romano, indeed, signed a one-year deal, worth $8.5MM.  It was essentially an unofficial swap of relievers between the Phillies and Jays, though while Hoffman had a strong 2024 season, Romano threw only 9 1/3 innings due to elbow problems that required an arthroscopic surgery.  The Blue Jays chose to non-tender Romano in the wake of this lost year, moving on from their former closer rather than pay him a projected $7.75MM in arbitration.

Dombrowski indicated at the end of last season and again this week that Philadelphia would only be re-signing one at most of Hoffman and Carlos Estevez, and the team ended up going with Romano over either of the free agent duo.  Unsurprisingly, Dombrowski framed the decision as a baseball move, rather than anything related to salaries or contractual demands.

“We just moved off [Hoffman] and did Romano because we thought [Orion] Kerkering was ready to step up and, I don’t want to say take on more because his role has been important, but pitch more at the back and high leverage,” Dombrowski said.

While we’re only a month into the 2025 season, the early returns on the Phillies’ decision haven’t been promising.  Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league in bullpen ERA, even despite superb numbers posted by closer Jose Alvarado and set-up man Matt Strahm.  Alvarado has quickly assumed closer duties since Romano has struggled to a 13.50 ERA in his first 9 1/3 innings as a Phillie, and Kerkering also has a 5.79 ERA in 9 1/3 frames of work this year.  Since we’re still dealing with small sample sizes here, it is worth noting that most of Kerkering’s damage took place in two rough outings this past week, though Romano has already allowed multiple runs over four of his outings.

Hoffman, meanwhile, has excelled in the first full-time closing assignment of his 10 MLB seasons.  The right-hander is a perfect 6-for-6 in save changes and has a 1.35 ERA over 13 1/3 innings for Toronto, with an eye-opening 39.6% strikeout rate and 2.1% walk rate.  Even with the caveats of a 92.1% strand rate and a .259 BABIP, Hoffman’s 1.16 SIERA is even lower than his already incredible ERA, further enhancing just how dominant Hoffman has been this year.

Should he keep pitching at anywhere near this level, Hoffman’s performance could lead to some second-guessing in Baltimore, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.  Turning to the Phillies in particular, Lauber feels the team will again find itself having to acquire some significant bullpen help before the trade deadline, perhaps with a particular aim of improving the relief corps’ strikeout numbers.

Twins Acquire Kody Clemens From Phillies

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TODAY: The trade has been officially announced, with the Phillies receiving cash considerations in exchange for Clemens.

APRIL 25: The Phillies are trading infielder Kody Clemens to the Twins, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Philadelphia had designated him for assignment earlier in the week. Minnesota adds infield depth within an hour of losing rookie second baseman Luke Keaschall to a broken arm.

It’s the second DFA infield pickup for the Twins in as many weeks. They made a similar move to bring in corner bat Jonah Bride from Miami. Clemens, a left-handed hitter, has 402 MLB plate appearances under his belt. He owns a .197/.244/.367 slash over parts of four seasons. The Texas product has been far more productive in Triple-A. Clemens has hit .259/.331/.507 in nearly 1300 plate appearances at the top minor league level.

Clemens spent two-plus seasons in Philadelphia. He was included as part of the Gregory Soto/Matt Vierling trade during the 2022-23 offseason. They’d shuttled him on and off the active roster for the first two seasons, but he has now exhausted his minor league options. Philadelphia couldn’t get him back to Triple-A without running him through waivers. While he broke camp as a result, Clemens wasn’t playing enough to make that a worthwhile use of a roster spot. He didn’t start a single game and had come off the bench for just six plate appearances.

There should be a better path to at-bats in Minnesota. The Twins recently lost Willi Castro to the injured list as well. Clemens and Bride are multi-positional infielders off the bench. Neither can really play shortstop, but Clemens could factor at any of the other infield spots and in the corner outfield. He could play some second base when the Twins want to use Edouard Julien as the DH.

They’ll open an active roster spot by placing Keaschall on the injured list. They created a 40-man roster spot by running minor league catcher Diego Cartaya through outright waivers this afternoon.

Cubs Backed Out Of Offseason Luzardo Trade After Medical Review

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The Cubs pulled out of an offseason trade agreement with the Marlins that would have sent Jesús Luzardo to Chicago after a review of the lefty’s medical records, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Luzardo spent time on the injured list last season with both elbow inflammation and a lumbar stress reaction in his back; the latter injury kept him from pitching after late June. Specifics on the return that the Cubs would have sent to Miami remain unreported.

It stands to reason the trade would have occurred in the middle of December. Rosenthal writes that the Luzardo talks took place after the team’s two-year agreement with Matthew Boyd on December 2. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on December 14 that the Cubs had shown interest in Luzardo. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reported two days later that the Cubs were pushing to get a deal done. By December 19, Levine had reported that talks were essentially dead.

Miami pivoted quickly, trading Luzardo to the Phillies on December 22. Philadelphia sent prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd to their division rivals while also acquiring minor league catcher Paul McIntosh. The Cubs aimed lower in their rotation pursuit. They signed swingman Colin Rea to a one-year, $5MM deal in January. Rea began the season as the sixth starter but has drawn into the rotation after Chicago lost Justin Steele to season-ending UCL surgery.

In his first session with Philadelphia media around the New Year, Luzardo said he’d “felt 100% the whole offseason.” He noted that the back injury had impacted him for most of the ’24 season before becoming something through which he could no longer pitch. He said in December that he felt it was “all figured out” and “back to normal.”

The Phillies were clearly comfortable with their review. It’s not unheard of for teams to have differing evaluations on a player’s medicals. The Yankees pulled out of a Jack Flaherty deadline deal before he was traded to the Dodgers last summer. The Braves and Orioles each backed out of free agent agreements with Jeff Hoffman prior to his three-year deal with the Blue Jays. They’re not completely analogous — free agent signees go through a physical examination, while teams usually just review the medical records of their trade targets — but this isn’t unique.

Luzardo has gotten out to a fantastic start with the Phils. He’s averaging just over six innings per appearance and owns a 2.08 earned run average through 30 1/3 frames. He has fanned 30% of opponents while averaging 96.4 MPH on his fastball — a tick above last season’s 95.2 mark. None of that guarantees that he’ll stay healthy, of course, but the Phillies are surely pleased with the early returns.

The southpaw will take the ball at Wrigley Field tomorrow opposite Ben Brown in the second game of a weekend set. He’s making $6.225MM this season and will likely earn something in the $10-12MM range for his final arbitration trip in 2026. Luzardo will hit free agency in advance of his age-29 campaign two years from now.

Phillies Notes: Sanchez, Suarez, Johnson

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The Phillies had a bit of an injury scare on Tuesday, as left-hander Cristopher Sánchez departed his start against the Mets after two innings. Sánchez was working with diminished velocity, and the club announced postgame that he’d dealt with forearm soreness.

Despite that ominous initial word, the Phillies downplayed concern on Wednesday. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer) that Sánchez felt normal this morning. While the southpaw will hold off on playing catch until Friday, the Phillies don’t plan to send him for imaging. They’ll wait to see how he feels when he resumes throwing in a couple days.

Sánchez made his first All-Star Game and finished 10th in NL Cy Young voting a season ago. He worked 183 1/3 innings of 3.32 ERA ball in his first full season as a starter. He’s pitching just as well this year, allowing 3.42 earned runs per nine over 26 1/3 frames. He’s getting grounders at a typically excellent 55.1% clip while striking out 29.2% of opponents. The start before yesterday was one of his best. He recorded a career-high 12 punchouts across seven innings of three-run against the Giants.

The Phils have had the same five starters all season: Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, Taijuan Walker and Sánchez. Nola has had a rough start, allowing a 6.43 ERA on nearly two home runs per nine while working with diminished velocity. Nola’s fastball tends to pick up life over the course of the season, and he’s obviously going to get a long leash based on his track record. The other four starters have ERA’s comfortably below 4.00.

Ranger Suárez has been out all season after experiencing back stiffness late in Spring Training. He has made a trio of minor league rehab appearances, including five scoreless frames at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. Matt Gelb of The Athletic writes that Suárez is expected to make one more start for the IronPigs on Sunday before returning to the big league rotation next week.

If Sánchez avoids the injured list, the Phils will need to decide between a six-man rotation or bumping someone to the bullpen. Walker, who would have begun the season in long relief if Suárez were healthy, would presumably be the odd man out. The veteran righty is pitching well, though, turning in a 2.29 ERA over 19 2/3 innings through his first four starts. His 19.3% strikeout rate is still a couple points below league average, but he has added a tick of velocity after last year’s dismal season.

One pitcher who is definitely making that role change: Seth Johnson. Dombrowski told reporters (including The Philly Inquirer’s Scott Lauber) that the righty is moving to the bullpen in Triple-A. Johnson has been a starting pitcher through his five seasons in the minors. He also started his lone major league appearance, a 2 1/3 inning start last September. Philadelphia acquired Johnson from the Orioles in last summer’s deadline deal that sent Gregory Soto to Baltimore.

A former top 40 draft choice, Johnson ranks as the #6 prospect in the Phils’ system at Baseball America. His fastball is averaging north of 95 MPH in Triple-A. That could tick up in shorter stints, while Johnson draws praise for his cutter and curveball. His subpar command always pointed to a possible bullpen future that has now come to pass. Jonson carries a 3.98 ERA over 20 1/3 innings in Lehigh Valley this year. He has punched out 27% of opponents while issuing walks nearly 15% of the time.

Phillies Designate Kody Clemens For Assignment

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The Phillies announced Wednesday that they’ve designated infielder/outfielder Kody Clemens for assignment. Fellow infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list and will take Clemens’ spot on the active roster. Clemens is out of minor league options and thus couldn’t simply be sent down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia now has 39 players on its 40-man roster.

Clemens, 28, came to the Phillies in the 2022-23 offseason alongside Gregory Soto in a trade that sent Matt Vierling, Nick Maton and Donny Sands back to the Tigers. He’s been an up-and-down utilityman for two-plus seasons but lost some of that flexibility in 2025 due to that lack of minor league options. He’s hitless through seven plate appearances in a limited role this year and carries a .220/.265/.394 batting line over the course of 275 plate appearances with the Phils.

The son of legendary pitcher Roger Clemens, Kody hasn’t yet put it together in the majors but does possess a nice minor league track record. In parts of four Triple-A seasons, he’s a .259/.331/.507 hitter with 63 homers, 50 doubles, 19 triples and 22 steals through 287 games. He’s a left-handed hitter and versatile defender who has ample experience at every infield position other than shortstop and in both outfield corners.

The Phillies can trade Clemens or place him on outright waivers at any point in the next five days. Waivers take 48 hours to process, meaning he can be in DFA limbo for a maximum of one week. Any club that swings a trade for Clemens or claims him would have to plug him directly onto the big league roster.

Wilson, 30, has been a productive, late-blooming bench piece for the Phillies over the past two seasons. He debuted in 2023 at 28 years old and has turned in a stout .288/.375/.490 slash in his first 120 major league plate appearances. Nearly all of his production has come against left-handed pitching; he’s tattooed southpaws at a .241/.412/.614 pace in the majors but has limped to a .227/.277/.364 line against fellow righties.

Poll: Will Alec Bohm Turn Things Around?

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The Phillies have enjoyed a solid enough start to their season to this point. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Castellanos are all off to hot starts, the starting pitching has largely looked as strong as ever despite the absence of Ranger Suarez, and the late-inning dominance of both Jose Alvarado and Matt Strahm has made the losses of Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez look manageable. Despite those positives, however, Philadelphia has fallen behind the Mets in the early going. Much of that is due to New York sporting the best pitching staff in baseball to this point in the year. While in theory the Phillies’ superior offensive numbers should help to balance that out, hot starts by most of the lineup’s key players have been negated in part by the deep struggles faced by outfielder Brandon Marsh and third baseman Alec Bohm.

Marsh was placed on the 10-day injured yesterday after going without a hit through the first two and a half weeks of April, but there’s no evidence of a physical explanation for Bohm’s struggles. The 28-year-old has slashed just .193/.211/.261 with a wRC+ of 30 that indicates he’s been 70% worse than league average at the plate so far this year. Those numbers have come in 90 plate appearances. It’s not a sample size at which most offensive stats have stabilized, but a month of production is still a significant chunk of the season. Adding fuel to the concerns surrounding Bohm is the fact that the infielder fell off a bit in the second half last year after strong early-season production. He slashed just .251/.299/.382 in 204 plate appearances after the All-Star break last year. Putting those two stretches together, Bohm is left with a set of nearly 300 plate appearances where he’s posted a lackluster 71 wRC+.

That sort of performance would not be acceptable for an everyday third baseman on a playoff contender. That’s especially true of Bohm given that he’s neither a top-notch defender nor a meaningful contributor on the bases. While some defensive metrics liked Bohm’s work at third base last year as demonstrated by his +5 Outs Above Average, there’s plenty of reason to view that figure as a bit of an outlier. Bohm’s been one of the worst defenders in baseball this year with -3 OAA already, and he’s been below average in every season of his career outside of 2024. Meanwhile, he’s never stolen more than five bases in a season or produced positive baserunning value in a full campaign according to Fangraphs’ BsR metric.

With so much emphasis on Bohm’s bat, the silver lining here is that there’s some encouraging signs in his underlying production this year. Specifically, Bohm’s batted ball metrics look quite good despite the complete absence of results. His 51.4% hard-hit rate is nearly seven points higher than his career average and six points above last year’s mark. He’s also sporting an 8.3% barrel rate that’s well above his career norms and in line with what power hitters like Josh Naylor and Randy Arozarena offered last year. The only noticeable flaw in Bohm’s batted ball data is that he’s hitting it on the ground too often; his 50% groundball rate would be his highest since 2021, leaving him with a career-worst 20.8% line drive rate and a flyball rate down nearly four points from last year.

In addition to Bohm’s struggles with elevating the ball to this point in the year, he’s suffered from a steep decline in plate discipline. Bohm struck out in just 14.8% of his plate appearances in each of the last two years, so this season that figure jumping to 17.8% is at least somewhat notable. More concerning than that, however is his shockingly low 1.1% walk rate. Bohm has draw just one walk to this point in the season; not only is that by far the fewest of any hitter with as many plate appearances as Bohm this year, just 15 other hitters in the whole sport with even half of Bohm’s 90 trips to the plate haven’t drawn at least two walks yet. A look under the hood suggests that Bohm is swinging at fewer strikes (65.7%) than ever before in his career while swinging outside the zone more often (27.5%) than he did last year.

Those numbers are both still relatively close to his career norms, so perhaps Bohm’s walk rate can get back to something closer to normal over a larger sample size. If he can do that and start elevating the ball a bit more often, it’s easy enough to see him rebounding to be a solid contributor this year. It remains an open question, however, as to whether or not he’ll get that opportunity. After all, Edmundo Sosa has plenty of experience at third base and has gotten off to a scorching start this year with a .414/.438/.552 slash line. That’s come in a sample of just 32 plate appearances and is heavily inflated by a massive .571 BABIP, but if the Phillies fall further behind the Mets in the standings while Bohm continues to struggle, making a switch is hardly unthinkable. There’s also the trade deadline over the horizon, where the Phils might have options to upgrade on Bohm, with Nolan Arenado rumors likely to ramp up again between now and then.

How do MLBTR readers think things will play out with Bohm? Will he still be the starting third baseman in Philadelphia at the end of the year? And will he have bounced back to put up numbers more in line with his career 101 wRC+? Have your say in the polls below:

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