- 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 Rumors
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.
Phillies Reinstate Bryce Harper From Injured List
Bryce Harper has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list, the Phillies announced. A roster spot for Harper was created when right-hander Hector Neris was placed on the paternity list.
Harper hit the IL due to a forearm contusion on May 25, and his activation comes as a bit of a surprise since manager Joe Girardi said just yesterday that the outfielder wasn’t yet ready to rejoin the Phillies’ lineup. Another 24 hours of treatment seems to have done the trick, however, and Harper will now get back into action.
Beyond the forearm contusion, wrist and shoulder troubles have bothered Harper this season, with the wrist problem perhaps being the biggest factor in a 2-for-25 slump for Harper prior to his IL placement. Even with that slump weighing down his numbers, Harper is still in the midst of a tremendous season, hitting .274/.395/.489 with seven home runs over 162 plate appearances.
Harper’s return brings an enormous boost to a Philadelphia squad that is still missing Didi Gregorius and Scott Kingery to injury, while Roman Quinn is out for the season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. Brad Miller has handled most of the right field duties in Harper’s absence, and the utilityman might now be shifted over to shortstop or third base.
Phillies Place Roman Quinn On 60-Day Injured List, Select Travis Jankowski
TODAY: Quinn’s season is over, as the Phillies announced that he will undergo surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Quinn will be sidelined for the next nine-to-12 months.
MAY 30: Quinn is indeed going to miss a substantial amount of time, as the Phillies announced they placed him on the 60-day IL this morning. Jankowski was selected to the roster in his place. The 29-year-old Jankowski has never hit much in the majors (.238/.315/.313 over 994 plate appearances) but he’s capable of playing all three outfield positions. He was off to a good start at the plate at Lehigh Valley, slashing .304/.451/.375 over his first nineteen games.
MAY 29: Phillies outfielder Roman Quinn left today’s game after suffering an injury to his left Achilles. It certainly looks as if Quinn is facing a lengthy absence, as manager Joe Girardi told reporters (including Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia) that Quinn would be examined by doctors but “I don’t expect to get any good news from the MRI. We’re pretty sure it’s not good.”
The injury occurred as Quinn was trying to score from first base on a Ronald Torreyes double in the fifth inning. Quinn fell while rounding third base and managed to score the run while hopping to home plate, but he then had to be carried off the field. Matt Joyce replaced Quinn in right field for the bottom of the fifth.
This isn’t the first Achilles injury Quinn has faced during his career, as a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2014 cost him a big chunk of his minor league season with high-A ball Clearwater. Considered a top-100 prospect earlier in his career, Quinn’s progress has been hampered by numerous trips to the injured list over the years, and was only just activated off the 10-day IL on Tuesday after missing three weeks due a laceration on his right index finger.
Quinn is hitting .173/.306/.288 over 62 plate appearances this season, playing in 28 games and serving mostly as part of the Phillies’ revolving door in center field. With Odubel Herrera having taken over center field duties in the last month, Quinn has since seen action in both corner outfield spots since returning from the IL, including two starts in right field in place of the injured Bryce Harper.
With Quinn joining Harper and Scott Kingery on the injured list, the Phillies’ outfield mix is down to Andrew McCutchen, Herrera, Joyce, and utilityman Brad Miller. Nick Maton might be a candidate for the outfield mix once Didi Gregorius returns to handle shortstop, and Mickey Moniak, Travis Jankowski, Jorge Bonifacio, and Ryan Cordell are among the options at Triple-A.
Reds Option Cionel Perez, Activate Wade Miley
The Reds have optioned Cionel Perez to Triple-A to make way for the activation of Wade Miley from the injured list, per the Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans (via Twitter). Miley will start today’s game against the Phillies.
Miley has been out just the minimum amount of time because of a foot sprain. His last two outings were his shortest of the season coming on the heels of no-hitting the Indians on May 7th. The veteran lefty has a 3.50 ERA/3.20 FIP in eight starts this season totaling 43 2/3 innings.
Perez has struggled through 17 appearances. The former Astro currently owns a 7.47 ERA/5.99 FIP in 15 2/3 innings of work. Control has been a problem for Perez with an untenable 20.5 percent walk rate. Amir Garrett and Sean Doolittle are the only southpaws left in the Reds’ bullpen.
Phillies Reinstate J.T. Realmuto From Injured List
The Phillies have reinstated catcher J.T. Realmuto from the injured list, the team announced. Catcher Rafael Marchan has been optioned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
As expected, Realmuto will have missed just the minimum amount of time after suffering a hand contusion. He is back in the lineup batting cleanup and catching today with a .294/.400/.494 batting line on the season. To no one’s surprise, he has been every bit the franchise catcher the Phillies expected when they re-signed him to a five-year deal this winter.
The 22-year-old Marchan held his own standing in for Realmuto with a .231/.286/.308 line across 14 plate appearances. Obviously, that’s a far cry from the production offered by Realmuto, but expectations come on a sliding scale.
Marchan actually brought a little more thunder at the plate than regular backup Andrew Knapp, who has struggled this year with just a .145/.205/.184 line. Knapp is in his fifth season as the backup catcher in Philly, but if he continues to struggle, the Phillies could give Marchan another look. Given Knapp’s longstanding role in Philadelphia, however, it’s more likely that Marchan will continue to get his reps in Triple-A unless there’s another injury.
