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Injury Notes: Cron, Polanco, Alvarado, Bohm

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Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron has been on the injured list since May 15 due to back spasms and the progress has been slow since then. Manager Bud Black told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post on Tuesday that Cron was at least a week away from baseball activities and Cron himself told Saunders today that he is still experiencing pain and doesn’t have a timetable for return (Twitter links).

It’s undoubtedly a frustrating situation both for Cron and the Rockies. Cron’s first season with the club was 2021 and it went so well that the two sides agreed to an extension. He hit 28 home runs that year and walked in 11% of his plate appearances, finishing the year with a batting line of .281/.375/.530 and wRC+ of 126. He was about to become a free agent when the club signed him for another two years and $14.5MM.

Cron had a slightly diminished overall output last year but still hit 29 home runs and provided above-average first base defense. He was off to a slow start this year, but in a small sample of 36 games and it’s possible the back issue was hampering him before he went on the IL. With that contract now a few months from expiring and the Rockies in last in the NL West, he would have been a logical trade candidate this summer, but any trade talks will obviously be affected by the lingering health issues.

Some other health notes from around the league…

  • Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco departed today’s game and the club later announced to reporters, including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, that it was due to left hamstring tightness. Injuries have become a running theme in recent years for both the Twins generally and Polanco specifically. Last year, the club was in first place for much of the season before mounting injuries led to a late-season collapse. Polanco was one of those injured players, as his left knee put him out of action in early September. That issue lingered into the start of this year and he began the season on the injured list. He debuted in late April but then landed on the IL due to a left hamstring strain in late May, and that same left hamstring now seems to be bothering him yet again. He’s hit a solid .250/.291/.450 this year but in just 30 games due to the multiple IL stints. “He’s still, I think, pretty strong in the muscle, but he definitely felt something,” manager Rocco Baldelli tells Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. “We’re going to have to pay attention to it.”
  • The Phillies are set to receive some reinforcements soon, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Left-hander José Alvarado is set to be activated from the injured list tomorrow with infielder Alec Bohm potentially back on Saturday. Alvarado’s been out for almost a month due to inflammation in his left elbow whereas Bohm has been out a week due to a hamstring strain. Alvarado has had elite strikeout stuff in his career but also struggled with walks. He was having a great season here in 2023 prior to the IL stint, striking out a ridiculous 46.2% of opponents without issuing a single walk. He surely won’t be able to maintain a 0.63 ERA all year long but getting him back in the bullpen will be a boost nonetheless. Bohm is hitting .265/.321/.403 this year for a wRC+ of 97, which isn’t elite production but he is still an important part of the club. Their infield depth has taken serious hits this year as Darick Hall has been on the injured list for most of it while Rhys Hoskins could end up missing the entire campaign.

Phillies Place Alec Bohm On Injured List, Select Drew Ellis

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1:45pm: The Phillies plan to play Clemens at first base against right-handed pitching and platoon him with Ellis for the time being, manager Rob Thomson said following the team’s formal announcement of the moves (link via Lauber). Bryce Harper hasn’t yet been cleared to throw to bases, so while he’s continuing workouts to acclimate to first base, he’s not an option yet. Sosa will get the majority of the reps at the hot corner while Bohm is shelved.

As for Bohm’s recovery, Thomson declined to offer a specific timetable, stating only that the Phillies “want to make sure it’s knocked out and it doesn’t come back, so however long that takes.” The Phillies designated outfielder Cal Stevenson for assignment to open roster space for Ellis.

9:21am: The Phillies will select the contract of infielder Drew Ellis from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and place fellow infielder Alec Bohm on the 10-day injured list, reports Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Yesterday, Bohm underwent an MRI on an ailing hamstring that has kept him out of the past few games. The Phillies have a full 40-man roster, so they’ll need to make a corresponding move in order to get Ellis to the big league level.

Following Rhys Hoskins’ season-ending ACL tear in spring training and Darick Hall’s thumb surgery in early April, Bohm has taken the lion’s share of playing time at first base for the injury-plagued Phillies (though he’s still logged plenty of action at the hot corner as well). Bohm has turned in a solid, if unspectacular .265/.321/.403 while grading out as a below-average defender at both infield corners. It’s not yet clear how much time he’ll be expected to miss, but in his stead, the Phils will likely turn to utilityman Kody Clemens at first base. The newly selected Ellis and utilitymen Edmundo Sosa and Josh Harrison figure to see time at third base.

Clemens, 27, came over from the Tigers in the Gregory Soto trade this offseason and has batted .268/.333/.479 with four homers in 78 plate appearances. He’s done so while striking out at a hefty 28.2% rate, so it could be tough for him to maintain that average, but he’s elevating the ball consistently (46.9% fly-ball rate, 24.5% line-drive rate) and making plenty of hard contact (90.1 mph average exit velocity), lending some credence to the power output.

It’s worth noting that Hall, who like Clemens bats left-handed, embarked on a minor league rehab assignment two days ago. He’s out to a 3-for-9 start with the Phillies’ High-A affiliate, and while the team likely wants him to get more than nine plate appearances after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb, Hall could be a big league option in the very near future. The 27-year-old slugger showed an all-or-nothing skill set in 2022 when he made his big league debut and hit .250/.282/.522 with nine dingers in just 142 plate appearances.

Ellis, 27, has seen big league time with the D-backs and Mariners across the past two seasons but signed a minor league deal with the Phillies over the winter. He’s batted just .141/.270/.212 in a tiny sample of 100 MLB plate appearances, walking at a hearty 11% clip against a more concerning 34% strikeout rate. He’s posted huge numbers while splitting time evenly between the Phillies’ Double-A and Triple-A clubs in 2023, with a .269/.380/.628 slash and eight long balls in just 78 plate appearances.

Defensively, Ellis has primarily been a third baseman, though he’s gathered experience at other spots as well. In recent years, he’s seen playing time at first base (344 innings), second base (275 innings) and even a few brief appearances at shortstop (19 innings). Like Sosa and Harrison, he’s a right-handed hitter, so there’s no neat platoon possibility at the hot corner. However, he could serve as a righty complement to Clemens and/or Hall at first base while Bohm mends, and if he can carry over any of that power display to the Majors, he could earn some additional at-bats across the diamond.

Phillies Designate Cal Stevenson For Assignment

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The Phillies announced Thursday that they’ve designated outfielder Cal Stevenson for assignment. He’d only just been claimed off waivers last week, but with Alec Bohm heading to the injured list — as was reported this morning — the team needed to open a roster spot to select the contract of infielder Drew Ellis from Triple-A.

The 26-year-old Stevenson was a tenth-round pick by the Blue Jays in 2018 and has already thrice been traded in his professional career: from Toronto to Houston in the Derek Fisher deal, from Houston to Tampa Bay for Austin Pruitt, and from Tampa Bay to Oakland for Christian Bethancourt. He’s now on his third DFA of the 2023 season alone, having gone from Oakland to San Francisco to the Phillies via that process. Stevenson has had minimal big league experience, both this season (0-for-12 in San Francisco) and in his young career (.145/.259/.188 in 83 plate appearances).

Down in the minors, he’s been a much more productive hitter. Stevenson touts a .267/.378/.380 batting line with seven home runs and 21 steals in 26 attempts. He’s walked at a hefty 15% clip in Triple-A against a lower-than-average 19.5% strikeout rate. Stevenson can play all three outfield spots, though the bulk of his work has come in center field. The Phils likely claimed him in hopes of rostering a true fourth outfield option while the injured Cristian Pache mends, but health concerns elsewhere on the roster prompted them to quickly change course.

The Phillies will have a week to trade Stevenson or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. Given his defensive abilities, on-base track record and remaining minor league options, there’s a decent chance that another team in need of some outfield depth will take a look at Stevenson, either via a small trade or a waiver claim. If the Phils can succeed in passing him through waivers, however, they’d be able to retain him in Triple-A as a depth option. Stevenson doesn’t have the service time or prior outright needed to reject an outright assignment.

Alec Bohm Undergoes MRI On Hamstring

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Phillies infielder Alec Bohm underwent an MRI on his left hamstring today, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The issue has caused him to miss a couple of games recently but now could potentially lead to a stint on the injured list, depending on the results of that imaging.

Bohm, 26, has had a fairly inconsistent career thus far. A top 100 prospect in his time as a minor leaguer, he burst onto the scene in 2020, hitting .338/.400/.481 for a wRC+ of 138 over his 44-game debut. He finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Devin Williams. But then he endured a deep sophomore slump the year after, getting optioned to the minors for over a month at one point and finishing with a .247/.305/.342 batting line and wRC+ of just 75. Since his third base defense was regarded as quite poor, that offensive performance was all the more troublesome.

He bounced back somewhat last year, getting his production up to .280/.315/.398. The resultant 98 wRC+ indicates he was still a bit below league average but it was nonetheless an improvement. He’s stayed sort of in that range this year, currently hitting .265/.321/.403 for a wRC+ of 96.

Despite those tepid results, an absence from Bohm wouldn’t be ideal for the Phillies. They’ve been dealing with issues at first base for most of the year due to the torn ACL of Rhys Hoskins and the thumb surgery of Darick Hall. The former has missed the entire season thus far and may end up missing the rest of it as well, whereas the latter played just six games before going under the knife. He began a rehab assignment yesterday.

With those two absences, the club has been running a combined platoon at the corners of late. On days when they face a right-handed starter, Bohm takes third with Kody Clemens on first. Against a southpaw, Bohm moves over to first with either Edmundo Sosa or Josh Harrison covering the hot corner. Clemens is having a decent season overall but has hit just .143/.143/.143 against lefties, though in a tiny sample of seven plate appearances. Sosa is hitting a subpar .261/.283/.400 for the year while Harrison is struggling badly, currently sitting on a line of .186/.234/.254. Dalton Guthrie has some third base experience but is hitting just .118/.211/.176 so far this year.

Subtracting Bohm from the equation could lead to extra playing time for that group while affording the club fewer opportunities to optimize the lineup based on the handedness of the opposing pitcher. Bryce Harper has been getting some work at first base as he continues to distance himself from his Tommy John surgery but still hasn’t made an appearances there this season. It’s unclear if the club would entertain the idea of putting him into game action there in the near future. Hall should be nearing a return since he’s started rehabbing but it would be fair to expect a bit of rust after nearly a two-month absence. Even if Harper or Hall is able to cover first, it still leaves the club likely covering third with some sort of uninspiring Bohm-less platoon composed of the above options. Taking all that into consideration, the Phils would undoubtedly prefer that the MRI doesn’t find anything too serious in Bohm’s hamstring.

NL East Notes: Braves, Mets, Phillies

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Braves manager Brian Snitker provided updates to reporters (including The Athletic’s David O’Brien) on outfielder Michael Harris II and right-hander Collin McHugh, both of whom went on the injured-list recently. Harris, who is struggling with back tightness, is steadily improving, though he wouldn’t be back in games yet even if he was on the active roster. Harris won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2022 after slashing an excellent .297/.339/.514 in 114 games while playing excellent defense in center field, but was injured seven games into the season when he banged his back against the outfield wall making a catch against the Padres last week. The club has relied on Sam Hilliard in center while Harris is on the shelf.

Meanwhile, McHugh went on the injured list with shoulder inflammation on Thursday, but has resumed throwing and expects to be back with the Braves after a minimum 15-day stint on the IL. After a long stint as a swingman for the Astros, McHugh opted out of the shortened 2020 campaign before re-emerging as a dominant reliever for the Rays in 2021. His dominance continued in 2022 with the Braves as he posted a combined 2.09 ERA in 133 1/3 innings of work across those two seasons. When McHugh returns from the IL, he figures to key piece in the back of the Braves’ bullpen alongside A.J. Minter.

More from around the NL East…

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mets could explore the market for additional catching options following a Omar Narvaez’s recent injury. Top prospect Francisco Alvarez was called up to replace Narvaez on the roster, and the club has expressed confidence in his ability to fill in for the next two months while Narvaez is expected to be out. Nonetheless, Sherman notes that the club is keeping an eye out for upgrades over their current depth options at catcher, Michael Perez and Nick Meyer. Robinson Chirinos and Austin Romine are among the catchers currently unsigned on the free agent market, though the Mets could certainly also explore the trade market if they’re interested in adding catching depth.
  • Despite previous indications that Kody Clemens would take most of the reps at first base following Darick Hall’s thumb surgery, it would appear that the Phillies are now planning on shifting third baseman Alec Bohm over to first base in order to give utilityman Edmundo Sosa a run as the everyday third baseman. As noted by Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, manager Rob Thomson seems interested in what Sosa can do with an everyday opportunity, telling reporters that “we’re going to see what he’s going to do against right-handed pitching.” Sosa got his first extended playing time with the Cardinals in 2021, posting a solid wRC+ of 104 while covering shortstop in addition to second base, third base, and even center field. He struggled mightily in 2022, however, posting just a 49 wRC+ in 53 games with St. Louis prior to being traded to Philadelphia, where he excelled down the stretch in 59 plate appearances that came primarily against southpaws.

Phillies Notes: Harper, Outfield, Nola

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Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently made an appearance on Philadelphia radio station WIP-FM, with Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relaying some of his comments on Twitter.

One key storyline for the Phillies this year will revolve around Bryce Harper. The star outfielder was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in May of last year, which prevented him from throwing but allowed him to serve as the designated hitter. His continued presence in the lineup helped the club earn a Wild Card berth and eventually make it all the way to the World Series. After that, he did finally undergo Tommy John surgery in November, with the club announcing at that time they expected him to be out until the around the All-Star break.

Everything with that plan still seems to be in order, with Dombrowski saying that Harper’s rehab has gone well up to this point. Harper is expected to start swinging a bat around the end of March and could be back in the lineup around the time of the All-Star festivities, as initially projected.

One fallout of that Harper situation is that the Phils will have an open designated hitter slot for the first half but Harper will take it over once he’s able. The club could theoretically look outside the organization to find another bat to fill the void, but they apparently feel good enough about their internal candidates that Dombrowski doesn’t anticipate a “big acquisition”. He listed Alec Bohm, Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto as candidates to take over some time in that slot.

Bohm and Hoskins are set to man the corners in Philly just as they’ve done in previous seasons. However, neither is considered an especially strong defender. Bohm has logged 2,280 2/3 innings at third base in his career but has accumulated -36 Defensive Runs Saved, -11 Outs Above Average and a -2.8 score from Ultimate Zone Rating. Hoskins, meanwhile, has 4,195 innings at first base with -7 DRS, -12 OAA, though a positive 5.4 score from UZR. Backup infielders Kody Clemens, Edmundo Sosa and Dalton Guthrie could get some extra time in the field while Bohm and Hoskins get some DH at-bats. Clemens has played both corners and second base in the majors thus far while Sosa has played the three positions to the left of first base and Guthrie has played second and third. Realmuto is considered an excellent defender but catchers can’t crouch behind the plate every day. Since he’s also a great hitter, it makes sense to use the DH spot to get him into the lineup more frequently.

In the outfield, the everyday regulars figure to be Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh. Neither Castellanos or Schwarber are considered great defenders on the grass, which would make them DH candidates as well. Even if that does end up coming to pass, Dombrowski feels good about the depth they have, mentioning Guthrie and Jake Cave. Given they feel good about their depth options, Dombrowski says they’re “basically set” while adding that further depth could always be added via a minor league deal.

Looking to the future, the Phillies have a great unknown in their rotation since Aaron Nola is now in the final year of his contract. “It’s something we’d like to do,” Dombrowski said about a Nola extension. “We want Aaron to be in the organization for a long time, no question. We love him. We love his abilities. I know he likes it in Philadelphia. So that’s something that will be in our mind… It’s never easy to be able to get done but we’d love to keep Aaron in the organization for a long time.”

Nola, 30 in June, is about to begin his ninth MLB season and so far has a 3.60 ERA through 1,288 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 27.5% of batters faced while walking 6.5% of them, and he’s kept the ball on the ground at a 47.9% clip. Since his 2015 debut, his 29.9 fWAR is the sixth-most of any pitcher in the league. It’s no surprise then that the club would like to keep him around, since he’s one of the few true aces in the league. Of course, that excellent work also means he won’t be cheap. Some recent free agent deals for excellent starting pitchers have gone well into nine-figure territory, with Jacob deGrom recently getting $185MM and Carlos Rodón $162MM. It doesn’t sound like anything is particularly close between Nola and the Phillies, but if they truly want him back for next year and beyond, it will surely require adding another hefty contract to their books.

Phillies Return Nick Duron, Bubby Rossman To Minors

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The Phillies announced tonight they’ve returned relievers Nick Duron and Bubby Rossman to the minor leagues. Duron heads to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, while Rossman goes back to Double-A Reading. Both players had their contracts selected as designated COVID-19 substitutes for the Phils’ set in Toronto, so neither will occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.

Philadelphia also returned catcher Rafael Marchán and optioned infielder Will Toffey to Triple-A. Those players will remain on the 40-man — Marchán because he’d been added to the roster well before his latest callup, Toffey because he wasn’t designated as a substitute player upon being selected to the big leagues today.

Duron and Rossman each soaked up a mop-up inning during tonight’s 8-2 loss to the Jays. The former worked around a pair of hits to record a scoreless frame. Rossman served up a two-run homer to Teoscar Hernández. It was a purposefully brief promotion for both as the Phils navigated the loss of four players for the series because of travel restrictions. Both righties got the opportunity to make their major league debuts, and they’ll head back to the minors hoping to earn a more lasting look at some point down the line.

The moves clear roster space for the reinstatement of the four players on the restricted list. Each of Kyle Gibson, Aaron Nola, Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto will be permitted to rejoin the club for their weekend series in Miami.

Phillies Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Phillies have announced several roster moves ahead of tonight’s series opener in Toronto. Since unvaccinated players aren’t eligible to cross the Canada-U.S. border, each new home series for the Blue Jays leads to a handful of players on the opposing team landing on the restricted list instead of making the trip. In the case of the Phils, they have four players not with the team up north. Catcher J.T. Realmuto, infielder Alec Bohm, right-handers Kyle Gibson and Aaron Nola have all been placed on the restricted list. To fill two of those roster spots, catcher Rafael Marchan has been recalled, while right-hander Nick Duron has had his contract selected. Both Marchan and Duron were identified as “substitute players,” meaning they can be returned to the minors without being exposed to waivers.

Duron, 26, will make his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game. Originally a 31st round pick of Boston in 2015, he spent a few years in the system of the Red Sox and then the Mariners. The Phillies signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason and sent him to Triple-A.

Through 28 innings with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Duron has a 2.57 ERA, 30.3% strikeout rate and 42.6% ground ball rate. However, he also has a concerning 12.3% walk rate, something that has been a theme for his in recent years. The last time he posted a walk rate lower than 10.6% was back in 2018. Still, the strikeouts are helping limit the damage enough to earn a big league look. It’s likely to be just temporary, however, with Duron likely to be removed from the roster once the Phillies get back from Toronto.

Phillies Notes: Harper, Bohm

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An MRI on Bryce Harper’s injured right elbow came back clean, but it will still be a few days before he can take the field again, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. In fact, if it weren’t for the designated hitter now being a part of the National League, Harper would have been placed on the injured list, Gelb notes. He will stay on the roster and in the lineup as the designateted hitter.

With Harper at least temporarily entrenched as the DH, the Phillies’ defense will take a hit with Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos in the outfield corners and Rhys Hoskins at first base. All three players would probably DH in a best-case scenario.

Harper’s injury, though hopefully short-term, highlights a larger roster issue for the Phillies. The outfield trio of Harper, Schwarber, and Castellanos aren’t going anywhere, but the Phillies could look to shake up the roster down the line by moving Hoskins or Alec Bohm. The younger Bohm has struggled defensively at the hot corner, and they could move him to first if they decide to move on from Hoskins, who has one more season of arbitration before free agency.

The club has also considered trading Bohm, however, notes The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. In just 12 games this season, Bohm’s value has already experienced wild swings in both directions. A three-error game at third saw him pushed to the bench for a few games, but in the last couple of days, Bohm’s bat has taken off. Such variance for a young player like Bohm is exactly why finding a trade partner is such a difficult task.

Bryson Stott To Make Phillies Opening Day Roster

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The Phillies will carry top shortstop prospect Bryson Stott on the Opening Day roster, the team informed reporters (including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). They’ll need to clear a spot for him on the 40-man roster before Thursday’s game. The team will also carry third baseman Alec Bohm on the big league club. Matt Gelb of the Athletic wrote yesterday that keeping both players on the roster was under consideration.

The pair of young infielders figure to see a good bit time together on the left side of the infield. Stott, presumably, will play regularly at shortstop. Bohm figures to handle the hot corner on most days, getting another crack to take hold of the position after a sophomore slump saw him optioned to Triple-A late last season.

It’ll be the first MLB look for Stott, whom the Phils selected 14th overall out of UNLV in the 2019 draft. The left-handed hitting infielder was regarded as a well-rounded shortstop prospect coming out of college, and he moved fairly quickly up the minor league ladder. Stott mashed in the low minors late in 2019, and he picked up where he left off last year after the canceled minors season.

The 24-year-old tallied 351 plate appearances with Double-A Reading, hitting .301/.368/.481 with ten homers. Stott posted solid walk and strikeout numbers and earned a late-season bump to Triple-A. Despite playing in only ten games with Lehigh Valley, he’ll step up to the major league level.

Each of Baseball America, The Athletic, ESPN, MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs placed Stott among the game’s top 100 prospects this offseason. FanGraphs was the most bullish of the group, ranking him the #34 prospect in the sport. General consensus among evaluators is that he’ll be a productive everyday player in the near future. Stott doesn’t get overwhelming grades for any of his physical tools, but he’s seen as a polished defensive shortstop with good bat-to-ball skills and average or better raw power.

Stott’s promotion figures to result in less playing time for incumbent shortstop Didi Gregorius. The Phils brought back the veteran on a two-year deal last offseason, but his 2021 production was disappointing. Gregorius hit just .209/.270/.370 in 103 games. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acknowledged at the start of the offseason the 32-year-old wouldn’t be guaranteed the primary shortstop job, pointing to Stott as a possible internal alternative.

Jean Segura is lined up as the everyday second baseman, and carrying Stott and Bohm could push Gregorius into a utility role. The Phils also signed Johan Camargo to a one-year deal this winter, giving manager Joe Girardi a few options for juggling playing time. Much figures to depend on how well Stott and Bohm start the season. Bohm, a former #3 overall pick and top prospect, had an excellent rookie showing in 2020 but is coming off a season (.247/.305/.342) not too much stronger than Gregorius’. He still has a pair of minor league option years remaining, increasing the pressure to stake a claim to the everyday third base job early in the season.

As a consensus Top 100 prospect, Stott’s immediate big league promotion could result in the Phils accruing some extra draft capital down the line. The new collective bargaining agreement includes the so-called Prospect Promotion Incentive, a feature that could entitle the Phils to a bonus selection in the amateur or international drafts (if the international draft is ultimately instituted) depending upon his finishes in Rookie of the Year or MVP voting before he reaches arbitration eligibility.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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