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Phillies Release Chase Anderson

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Right-hander Chase Anderson has been released by the Phillies, per a team announcement.

It’s been a rough couple of years for Anderson, after a solid four-season run with Milwaukee. From 2016 through 2019, he made 116 appearances, 112 starts, throwing 590 innings with an ERA of 3.83. In the midst of all that, the Brewers signed him to an extension, inking a two-year deal in October of 2017, which included options for 2020 and 2021.

However, in the two seasons since, everything has gone to pot for the righty. After being traded to the Blue Jays in November 2019, Anderson had a rough campaign for Toronto/Buffalo. In 33 2/3 innings, he had an ERA of 7.22 and then had his option declined, becoming a free agent.

The Phillies took a flier on him, signing him to a one-year, $4MM deal in February this year, hoping for a bounceback. Unfortunately, that didn’t come to fruition, as Anderson’s 2021 ERA is 6.75 in 48 innings for the Phils. He will now search for another team that’s willing to look past his recent struggles and hope for a return to his previous form.

Phillies Notes: Eflin, Realmuto, Bradley

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Zach Eflin’s season could be in jeopardy following both a positive COVID-19 test and a recurrence of his right knee injury.  Phillies manager Joe Girardi told reporters (including The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Breen) that he doesn’t expect Eflin to be doing much throwing during the right-hander’s mandatory 10-day minimum quarantine period, giving Eflin even less time to get prepared for a return to the mound before the regular season is up.

Eflin hasn’t pitched since July 16 due to patellar tenditis in his right knee.  He was activated from the 10-day IL on Thursday for an expected start, but he was scratched from that outing due to more knee problems.  Eflin was then placed on the COVID-related injury list the next day in the wake of his positive test.

It remains to be seen if Eflin will miss only 10 days recovering from the coronavirus, though he has already been fully vaccinated.  This 10-day break could essentially serve as a shutdown period that may have been required anyway, considering the sudden return of Eflin’s knee issue.  Still, the first step of that knee rehab can’t really begin until Eflin is COVID-free, limiting his chances of returning.

The righty has enjoyed a solid season, posting a 4.17 ERA over 105 2/3 innings and 18 starts in the Philadelphia rotation.  After a career-best 28.6% strikeout rate in 2020, Eflin’s K-rate returned to career norms with a below-average 22.4% mark this season.  However, Eflin has been better at ever at limiting free passes — his 3.6% walk rate is the lowest of any pitcher in baseball with at least 100 innings pitched in 2021.

Eflin’s potential absence for the remainder of the season won’t help the Phils in their attempts to make a late run at a playoff spot.  Philadelphia entered today’s action with an even 64-64 record, 5.5 games back of the Braves in the NL West and six games out of a wild card spot.  Eflin had been a solid No. 3 pitcher behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola in the Phillies’ rotation, though trade deadline acquisition Kyle Gibson, Ranger Suarez, and Matt Moore now look to be rounding out the starting five for the remainder of the year if Eflin can’t make a comeback.

The Phillies were further hampered by the loss of Rhys Hoskins to season-ending abdomen surgery earlier this week, and the club plans to use J.T. Realmuto help fill the void at first base.  Getting out from behind the plate could also help Realmuto manage an injury of his own, as the All-Star catcher told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki and other reporters that he has been battling some soreness in his right shoulder.

Realmuto described the issue as “normal everyday wear and tear,” to the point that he even downplayed the position change as a way to keep him fresh.  “Everybody on the field is feeling some sort of tired or some sort of pain right now,” Realmuto said.  “Mine just happens to be in my shoulder.  I feel it a little bit hitting.  I feel it sometimes throwing, but I don’t think it’s actually affecting my play at all.”

Considering Realmuto has an .874 OPS over 87 plate appearances in August, he certainly doesn’t seem any worse for wear.  For the season, Realmuto is hitting .263/.351/.447 with 14 homers over 422 PA.  Realmuto is no stranger to first base, having played 40 games at the position over the last five seasons.

Archie Bradley is also dealing with right shoulder discomfort, Girardi said, though the problem isn’t considered serious.  Bradley hasn’t pitched since Tuesday, when he allowed two runs in an inning of work against the Rays.  Bradley has a 3.12 ERA over 40 1/3 innings out of the Phillies bullpen this season, with a 54.4% grounder rate helping paper over some unimpressive Statcast metrics.

Phillies Place Three Players On COVID-19 Injured List

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The Phillies announced they’ve placed three players — right-hander Zach Eflin, utilityman Luke Williams and catcher Andrew Knapp — on the COVID-19 injured list. Righty Enyel de los Santos and catcher Rafael Marchán were recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, while outfielder Jorge Bonifacio was selected back to the roster. The three players were all fully vaccinated but have apparently tested positive for the virus, relays Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (Twitter link).

Eflin just returned from the 10-day injured list yesterday after missing five weeks with patellar tenditis. He was scratched from last night’s scheduled start due to recurring trouble with his knee and will now miss some time due to viral issues. When healthy, Eflin is one of the Phils better starters, having pitched to a 4.17 ERA over 105 2/3 innings. Knapp and Williams, meanwhile, have gotten sporadic playing time in reserve capacities — Knapp as the #2 catcher, Williams in a multi-positional role.

Bonifacio returns to the big leagues just two days after being passed through outright waivers. The 28-year-old was called up last week and made two appearances before being designated for assignment. Because he was selected as a COVID replacement, Bonifacio won’t have to go on waivers this time around if he’s sent back down whenever the Phils are able to activate someone from the COVID IL.

Rhys Hoskins Done For The Season

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Rhys Hoskins was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier today. Unfortunately, the news has only gotten more dire since then. Speaking to reporters, Hoskins said that he will not play again this season, per Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). He will undergo surgery to repair a tear in his lower abdomen, adds MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki (via Twitter).

Interestingly, the earlier designation for his IL placement was for a groin injury. The abdomen issue was a preexisting injury that Hoskins has been dealing with for some time now. The two injuries in tandem, however, seemed to push the point for Hoskins, leading to the decision to have the surgery now. It’s an unequivocal bummer for Hoskins, who had put together a bounce-back season after a difficult 2020.

Big picture, this is a crushing revelation for the Phillies. They have very little margin for error as they strive to make the postseason for the first time in the Bryce Harper era. It’s been a tough month of August for the Phillies, who were leapfrogged by the Braves for first place in the NL East. Girardi’s club now sits 5.0 games out of first and 5.5 games out of a wild card spot.

All this comes amidst a front office shakeup and the demotion of Alec Bohm, their top prospect and starting third baseman for much of the year. Add in the yo-yo treatment of Spencer Howard’s development before he was dealt to Texas, as well as their wild swings in the standings since the trade deadline, and it all adds up to a rather disjointed situation in Philly, at least in terms of the optics.

Remember, they were 3.5 games behind the Mets at the trade deadline only to go on an 8-game win streak to begin August. They swiftly overtook the Mets for the division lead on August 6th. Their time at the top was short-lived, as they’ve gone just 6-10 in the games since, losing the top spot to surging Atlanta. Less than two weeks after they lost the division lead to the Braves, they sit just barely on the fringes of contention with a 17.6% chance of making the playoffs, per baseball-reference.

Losing Hoskins now adds insult to injury, especially because they’re roster is so thin after the superstars at the top. Hoskins’ 129 wRC+ and 2.4 fWAR were a key piece of scaffolding to the Harper-J.T. Realmuto core. Swapping in Brad Miller’s 93 wRC+ simply doesn’t make up enough ground for a team looking to make up ground. Miller’s going to be the guy, however, because there’s not much else in the organization by way of reinforcements — not unless Bohm can very quickly figure things out in Triple-A.

Phillies Place Rhys Hoskins On Injured List, Designate Chase Anderson

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3:54 PM: Well, it was a short-lived return for Eflin. The Phillies’ right-hander was scratched from his start tonight because of continued knee discomfort, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Philly (via Twitter). Manager Joe Girardi made the announcement not long after Eflin was activated from the injured list. Matt Moore will get the start tonight, and Eflin will presumably be further evaluated.

2:34 PM: The Phillies announced a series of roster moves this afternoon. Starting pitcher Zach Eflin has been activated from the 10-day injured list to start this evening’s game against the Diamondbacks. Also coming back from the 10-day IL is reliever José Alvarado. In corresponding moves, Philadelphia placed first baseman Rhys Hoskins back on the 10-day IL due to a left groin strain and designated right-hander Chase Anderson for assignment.

Eflin has missed around five weeks due to patellar tendinitis in his right knee. That halted a typically-strong campaign for the right-hander, who has a 4.17 ERA over 105 2/3 innings. Eflin doesn’t rack up huge strikeout or ground-ball totals, but he’s one of the sport’s best strike-throwers and a consistent mid-rotation presence. Eflin has posted an ERA between 3.97 and 4.36 in each of the past four seasons.

While the Phils will be thrilled to welcome Eflin back, they’re again losing Hoskins to the IL. The veteran first baseman just returned to the lineup over the weekend after missing two weeks on account of the same left groin strain. Three games later, he winds up back on the shelf. It’s an inopportune time for the Phils to lose one of their best hitters, as they enter play tonight five games back of the Braves in the National League East.

The roster shuffling almost certainly ends Anderson’s time in Philadelphia. The veteran signed a one-year, $4MM guarantee over the offseason with the hope he’d bounce back from a 2020 campaign derailed by home runs. He’s had a rough go of things for the second straight year, though, pitching to a 6.75 ERA over 48 innings between the rotation and long relief. While Anderson’s strikeout rate spiked to a career-best 24.7% last season, it has fallen to a subpar 16.3% mark this year. Anderson’s also walking batters at a career-worst 9.3% clip and he’s continued to struggle keeping the ball in the yard.

Given his lackluster 2021 results, Anderson’s a lock to pass through waivers unclaimed. He has enough service time to become a free agent while collecting the balance of his guaranteed salary. At that point, Anderson should attract interest from other clubs based on his extended pre-2020 body of work as a solid back-of-the-rotation starter.

Phillies Outright Jorge Bonifacio

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AUGUST 25: Philadelphia announced that Bonifacio has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Lehigh Valley. As a player who has previously been outrighted in his career, he has the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.

AUGUST 24: The Phillies announced Tuesday that they’ve reinstated infielder Freddy Galvis from the 10-day injured list, reinstated righty Sam Coonrod from the 60-day injured list, and designated outfielder Jorge Bonifacio for assignment. The Phils also optioned right-hander Enyel De Los Santos to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Galvis, 31, will return to his original organization for the first time since 2017. The Phillies acquired him in a deadline swap that sent minor league righty Tyler Burch to the Orioles, knowing at the time that he’d need several more weeks to finish rehabbing a quadriceps injury.

Galvis has yet to appear for the Phillies in 2021 but was batting .249/.306/.414 with nine home runs through 274 plate appearances at the time of his IL placement in Baltimore. His work with the Orioles was rather typical for Galvis: low batting average and on-base numbers with solid power and defensive marks at shortstop. He’ll give the Phillies an option to bounce around between shortstop, second base and third base as well as a bit of speed and power off the bench.

The 28-year-old Bonifacio was only just selected to the MLB roster a couple days back. He appeared in two games and went 0-for-3, but Bonifacio has enjoyed a big season between Double-A and Triple-A. In a combined 293 minor league plate appearances this season, the former Royals slugger has posted a .273/.372/.546 batting line with 15 home runs, 19 doubles, a pair of triples and four stolen bases (in six tries). Bonifacio is a lifetime .243/.313/.396 hitter in 810 Major League plate appearances.

Phillies Announce Series Of Front Office Changes

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The Phillies announced a shakeup in the front office this afternoon. Assistant general managers Bryan Minniti and Scott Proefrock will no longer hold those positions, although both will remain consultants to the organization in 2022. Josh Bonifay is also out as director of player development. He has been offered a position on the pro scouting staff in 2022. Jorge Velandia will take over the player development department on an interim basis.

Philadelphia hired Minniti away from the Diamondbacks organization in 2016. The Phils noted in their press release that he has been in charge of the amateur scouting department over the past few seasons. Proefrock had been in the organization since 2008, serving as interim general manager after the club parted ways with Ruben Amaro Jr. late in the 2015 season. Bonifay was a more recent addition to the staff, signing on in 2018.

The Phillies have had plenty of success in free agency in recent years, but they’ve struggled to pair that with homegrown talent. Selecting Aaron Nola in the first round in 2014 was a huge success, but none of their following few top picks (Cornelius Randolph in 2015, Mickey Moniak in 2016, Adam Haseley in 2017) has yet lived up to expectations. 2018 #3 overall pick Alec Bohm had a fantastic rookie year in 2020, but he’s slumped badly enough in his sophomore season he was optioned back to Triple-A last weekend.

Even independent of those results, it’s not especially surprising to see the Phils making some changes within the front office. All three of the departing executives predated current president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who was hired as baseball ops head this past winter. Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld always looked likely to reshape the front office a bit relative to where it stood under previous GM Matt Klentak. Velandia and Ned Rice — who served as interim GM between Klentak’s departure and Dombrowski’s hiring last offseason — remain as assistant GM’s.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/22/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • Cesar Valdez has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk, per an Orioles team announcement. The righty had been designated for assignment on Friday. After signing a minor league deal in the offseason, the 36-year-old earned his way back into the majors for a second consecutive season. Valdez even served as the Orioles’ closer for a time, racking up eight saves. However, he wasn’t able to maintain his hot start to the year. His 2.50 ERA through 18 innings was then complemented with an ERA of 7.90 over his next 27 1/3. In total, he has a season ERA of 5.76 over 45 1/3 innings. He’ll now get some work in at the Triple-A level and try to make his way back to the bigs again.
  • Phillies right-hander Mauricio Llovera has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, per a team announcement. The 25-year-old had been designated for assignment on Friday. This will allow the Phillies to stash an arm in the minors that has shown enough promise to be considered a prospect of note in recent years. (FanGraphs had him as high as the 11th best prospect in the Philadelphia system, prior to the 2019 and 2020 seasons.) Llovera has struggled in the majors so far, but in a very small sample size of just 7 2/3 innings between 2020 and 2021. At Triple-A this season, he has an ERA of 4.60 over 29 1/3 innings.

Phillies Activate Rhys Hoskins, Option Alec Bohm

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The Phillies announced they’ve activated first baseman Rhys Hoskins from the 10-day injured list. Somewhat surprisingly, Philadelphia optioned struggling corner infielder Alec Bohm to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move.

Hoskins is back after a two-week absence due to a left groin strain. He’s starting at first base and hitting fifth in this afternoon’s game against the Padres. Hoskins has hit at his typically productive level this year, slashing .244/.332/.509 with 24 home runs over 434 plate appearances. That kind of offensive production will be welcome for the suddenly slumping Phils, who have gone just 5-8 since he last played on August 5. Coupled with the Braves’ recent tear, the Phillies have fallen five games back in the National League East.

Bohm has been in the majors since Philadelphia selected him to make his debut last August. The former #3 overall pick and top prospect began his career with a flourish, hitting .338/.400/.481 over his first 180 trips to the plate. That earned him a runner-up finish in NL Rookie of the Year award voting.

That strong showing locked Bohm in as the season-opening third baseman in 2021. The Phils no doubt expected more of the same offensive impact from the right-handed hitter, but he’s struggled mightily in his sophomore campaign. Through 407 plate appearances, Bohm is hitting .245/.302/.342 with seven home runs. After adjusting for Philadelphia’s hitter-friendly home park, that production checks in 24 percentage points worse than the league average.

Bohm’s strikeout rate has jumped from 20% last season to a subpar 26.5% in 2021, while his walk rate has dipped slightly. While that’s a discouraging development, the bigger issue is that Bohm’s results on batted balls have nosedived. Bohm was never likely to sustain last season’s .410 batting average on balls in play, so it’s unsurprising his BABIP has dropped to .323 this year. That’s still higher than the .293 league average — reflective of Bohm’s ability to spray hard contact to all fields — but it reinforces that Bohm needs to do more damage from a power standpoint if he’s to be an impactful offensive player.

To this point, he’s shown surprisingly little extra-base thump. It’s not for a lack of strength; Bohm’s 92.4 MPH average exit velocity and 50.2% hard hit rate both check in among the top ten percent of qualified hitters. He’s been unable to hit the ball in the air with consistency, though, negating much of the value that comes with making authoritative contact. Bohm’s 52.8% ground-ball rate is eighth-highest among 119 hitters with 400+ plate appearances. That’s not a good place for a potential power hitter, and he’s the only player in the top ten in ground-ball rate who’s also striking out at a higher than average clip.

If Bohm isn’t hitting well, he’s not providing much in the way of value. Prospect rankers long raised questions about his defensive ability at third base, and the advanced metrics suggest he’s been a below-average defender this season. Ronald Torreyes is a superior gloveman at the hot corner, while utilityman Brad Miller could factor into the third base mix as well while Bohm’s in the minors.

Down 2021 notwithstanding, the Phillies are likely still counting on Bohm to make an impact in the not-too-distant future. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s brought back to the majors in short order, with active rosters set to expand to 28 on September 1. A brief demotion could serve to get Bohm a mental reset without dealing with the pressure of a pennant race.

Today’s option won’t have any effect on Bohm’s path to free agency, but it could impact when he reaches arbitration. He didn’t debut in the majors until too late in the 2020 season to reach a full year of MLB service last year, so he entered 2021 with 128 days of service time. He has banked enough time to reach his first full year of service this season, so he’ll remain on track for free agency after the 2026 campaign. Bohm could plausibly qualify for arbitration after next season as a Super Two player (assuming the Super Two system even survives the new round of collective bargaining negotiations), but a lengthy optional assignment could keep him from reaching arbitration until the 2023-24 offseason.

Phillies Select Jorge Bonifacio

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The Phillies announced they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Jorge Bonifacio. He’s getting the start tonight in center field against the Padres. To open space on the 40-man roster, Philadelphia designated reliever Mauricio Llovera for assignment.

Bonifacio joined the organization on a minor league deal in May. Originally assigned to Double-A Reading, he posted a strong .251/.343/.538 line across 198 plate appearances, earning a bump up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Bonifacio has been even more impressive at the minors’ top level, mashing at a .321/.432/.564 clip in 95 trips to the plate to earn his first big league call this year.

This marks the fifth consecutive year in which Bonifacio picks up some MLB playing time. A fairly well-regarded prospect during his days in the Royals’ system, the right-handed hitter broke into the majors in 2017 and spent that season as Kansas City’s primary right fielder. He hit a fine .255/.320/.432 over 113 games that year, but he was suspended for half the 2018 campaign after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonifacio picked up 270 plate appearances with the Royals down the stretch that season but failed to match his league average output from the year prior. After hitting just .225/.312/.360, he was mostly relegated to Triple-A in 2019. Bonfiacio only tallied 115 combined trips to the dish between Kansas City in 2019 and the Tigers last season.

He’s made it back to the majors and will apparently be an option for Philadelphia at all three spots on the grass. Tonight’s start in center will be just his second as a big leaguer, his first since his 2017 rookie season. Bonifacio has otherwise worked exclusively in the corner outfield.

Llovera was once one of the more promising young pitchers in the Philadelphia organization. At his prospect peak, he drew praise from evaluators for a mid-90’s fastball and pair of solid off-speed pitches. Llovera’s average fastball velocity has bounced back to 94.5 MPH this season after dipping last year, but he’s had a difficult 2021 campaign from a results perspective.

Over six big league appearances, Llovera has been tagged for seven runs in 6 2/3 innings, allowing five homers in the process. He’s spent more time in Lehigh Valley, where he has a 4.60 mark across 29 1/3 frames. The 25-year-old has posted strikeout and walk rates marginally worse than league average (24% and 10.9%, respectively) with the IronPigs.

The Phils will place Llovera on waivers in the coming days. He’s still young and not far removed from being regarded as a potentially useful bullpen arm, so he could attract interest on the wire. Llovera still has one additional minor league option year remaining, so any claiming team could keep him in Triple-A through the end of 2022 if he sticks on the 40-man roster.

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