The Rays have signed reliever Evan Phillips to a minor league deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. This is a quick bounceback for Phillips, as he was one of three players released by the Orioles yesterday.
Phillips has been shuffling between Triple-A and the big leagues over the past few years. Since the start of the 2018 season, he’s pitched 54 innings at the MLB level, with a bloated 7.50 ERA, although advanced metrics are kinder. (5.33 FIP and 5.22 xFIP.) The 25.4% strikeout rate is okay, though it’s come with an unpalatable 14.9 walk rate. But his minor league numbers are much better in that timeframe: a 3.41 ERA over 116 innings, with an excellent 31.5% strikeout rate. The walk rate is better but still high at 10%.
The 26-year-old will now report to Triple-A and see if he can work his way back to the majors over the final months of the season.