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Phillies Designate Ricardo Pinto For Assignment

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The Phillies announced that they’ve designated right-hander Ricardo Pinto for assignment this afternoon. The move opens up a spot on the active roster for right-hander Taijuan Walker, who the club activated from the 15-day injured list ahead of his start against the Padres in San Diego this afternoon.

Pinto, 30, signed with Philadelphia on a minor league deal back in February and got the call to the majors shortly after Opening Day. He’s struggled mightily in a multi-inning relief role int he majors this year, pitching to a 10.97 ERA with a 6.07 FIP in 10 2/3 innings of work across six appearances. He’s struck out just 13.6% of batters faced with the Phillies while walking 8.5%.

Given those brutal numbers, it’s hardly a surprise that the Phillies decided to pull the plug on Pinto, who first came up to the majors as rookie with the club back in 2017. Since then, he’s pitched in the Rays, White Sox, and Tigers organizations in addition to taking a sojourn overseas to pitch for the KBO’s SK Wyverns. While he’s posted a decent 4.43 ERA in 347 2/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level throughout his career, he’s never managed to pitch effectively in the big leagues as demonstrated by his career ERA of 9.07.

Looking ahead, the Phillies will have seven days to either work out a trade for Pinto or attempt to pass him through waivers. Should he clear waivers, the club would have the opportunity to assign him outright to the minor leagues, though Pinto would have the opportunity to reject that assignment in favor of free agency as a player who has previously been outrighted in his career.

Pinto’s departure from the roster makes room for the return of Walker, who has not yet made an appearance in the majors this season after starting the season on the IL due to a shoulder impingement. Walker is entering the second year of his four-year, $72MM contract with Philadelphia and enters the 2024 campaign on the heels of a decent 2023 season that saw him post a roughly league average 4.38 ERA with a 4.53 FIP in 172 2/3 innings of work. Both Walker and the Phillies are surely hoping that the right-hander will return to the form he showcased with the Mets in 2022, when he pitched to a solid 3.49 ERA (111 ERA+) with a 3.65 FIP in 29 starts.

In the meantime, the biggest question brought up by Walker’s return is what the club will do with righty Spencer Turnbull. Initially signed to act as a long reliever and swingman, the 31-year-old righty has been nothing short of dominant to this point in the season with a 1.33 ERA and 3.12 FIP in 27 innings of work across five starts. Per recent comments from club manager Rob Thomson, the club won’t decide what’s next for Turnbull until after Walker’s start tonight.

Phillies Notes: Walker, Turnbull

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  • Taijuan Walker is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list on Sunday to start the Phillies’ game against the Padres.  A shoulder impingement delayed Walker’s 2024 debut, and it also created an opportunity for Spencer Turnbull to open some eyes as the fill-in starter in Philadelphia’s rotation.  With an outstanding 1.33 ERA over 27 innings and five starts, Turnbull has certainly pitched well enough to remain in the starting mix, but Rob Thomson told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Alex Coffey (X link) and other reporters that a decision will be held off on Turnbull’s next step until after Walker throws on Sunday.  Turnbull could get a proper start on Tuesday, or be part of a piggyback start with Cristopher Sanchez in Monday’s game.  With Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Sanchez, and Turnbull all looking great thus far in the season, Walker’s return gives the Phillies a rare pitching surplus at the moment, and creates a nice problem for the team to navigate.

The Evolution Of Alec Bohm

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The Phillies are out to a strong 16-10 start here in 2024 and a portion of the credit has to go to third baseman Alec Bohm, who is out to a scorching-hot start at the plate.

The lanky corner infielder has taken 104 trips to the plate this year over 26 games and has a batting line of .333/.423/.556. That translates to a wRC+ of 170, indicating he’s been 70% better than the league average hitter so far this year. Among qualified hitters, that makes him the 12th best in the majors so far on the young season.

He probably can’t stay quite this hot over a longer stretch of time. His .386 batting average on balls in play this year is well above his career rate of .324 as well as the .290 league average. Since his exit velocity numbers are pretty similar to previous seasons, the BABIP will likely regress a bit going forward. However, he’s also made some gains in the plate discipline department that could perhaps be more sustainable, as they fit a pattern of growth that goes back a few years.

Bohm went through three minor league levels as a prospect in 2019, going from Low-A to High-A to Double-A. He walked in 10.6% of his plate appearances and only struck out 13.5% of the time. Prospect evaluators had praised his eye at the plate and those numbers tracked with that. He hit .305/.378/.518 that year across those minor league levels for a 161 wRC+.

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bohm shot onto the scene with a huge major league debut. He hit .338/.400/.481 for a 138 wRC+. His 20% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate weren’t quite as strong as in the minors the year prior, but that was fairly logical for a guy skipping Triple-A and getting to the big leagues for the first time.

But it seems the league adjusted the next year, as Bohm endured an awful sophomore slump in 2021. He took 417 trips to the plate that year and was punched out in 26.6% of them. His walk rate also fell to 7.4%. He only hit seven home runs on the year, leading to a paltry line of .247/.305/.342 and a 77 wRC+. He was optioned to the minors for a time, spending just over a month on the farm from late August to late September.

Since that awful season, however, Bohm has been gradually climbing in terms of his results and approach at the plate . In 2022, his walk rate dropped to 4.9% but he only struck out at a 17.4% clip, almost a ten-point drop from the prior season. His .280/.315/.398 batting line wasn’t amazing, leading to a 98 wRC+, but it was still progress relative to the prior year.

Last season, he continued down that path by dropping his strikeout rate even further to 15.4%, with his walk rate ticking up slightly to 6.9%. He also set a new career high with 20 home runs, leading to a .274/.327/.437 slash and 105 wRC+.

As mentioned up top, Bohm has a huge slash line this year, which is at least partly fueled by his strong BABIP. But he’s also drawn walks at a massive 13.5% clip, almost double where he was at last year. He’s swinging at just 27.8% of pitches outside the zone so far this year, whereas he chased at a 33.4% rate in prior seasons. Even when he does chase, his 79% contact rate on pitches outside the zone is far higher than the 71.2% rate he had coming into the year. On pitches in the zone, he’s making contact at a 93.6% rate, compared to his 86.7% rate coming into the year.

Looking at his swinging-strike rate, there is a direct downward trend from his sophomore slump year in 2021 to the present. It was 11.7% that year but dropped to 9.6% the year after, followed by 7.8% last year. He’s down to just 5.1% this year. Going forward, BABIP results will sway with luck as they often do. But the fact that he swings and misses less as time goes on suggests that he has been maturing in the areas he can control.

What’s also encouraging is that he’s been doing damage against both lefties and righties this year, whereas he had seemed to be leaning towards a short-side platoon role in previous years. He currently has a career 143 wRC+ against southpaws but just an 87 otherwise. As recently as last year, those figures were 142 against lefties and 92 against righties. So far this season, he’s at 205 and 149, still a big split but well above average regardless of who he has faced.

Defense is also important for Bohm, as he’s never been considered an especially strong third baseman, nor one who was destined to stay there for a long time. Going into 2020, the Baseball America scouting report on Bohm contained this passage: “Kris Bryant and Troy Glaus are the only players 6-foot-5 or taller to play more than 200 games at third base in MLB history. Bohm is unlikely to become the third.”

Well, Bohm has already gone past that 200-game threshold, having already played 388 contests at the hot corner. The results have not been great, however, as he has career tallies of -49 Defensive Runs Saved and -11 Outs Above Average.

Last year, the Phillies started playing Bohm at first base more with Rhys Hoskins injured, but Bryce Harper eventually took it over. Though Harper was previously an outfielder, he returned from Tommy John surgery as a designated hitter and then eventually moved into first base due to the lesser throwing demands at that position.

After the 2023 season, it was announced that Harper would stay at first base going forward and would not be returning to the outfield. Since Kyle Schwarber is effectively a full-time designated hitter now, Bohm is locked in at third.

It’s possible to see some evolution in his glovework at third as well, depending on which metric you trust. DRS has continued to be extremely pessimistic, with Bohm at -10 or worse in each of the previous three campaigns. He’s already at -3 DRS so far this year, not even a month into the season. But OAA is bit more hopeful, since Bohm bottomed out by that metric with a -9 in 2022, before getting to +1 last year. Though that was in a smaller sample size since he spent roughly half his time at first base, where OAA gave him a -6 on the year. He’s still at an even zero at third base so far in the early parts of 2024, meaning OAA considers him roughly average at the hot corner going back to the start of last year. Even if one buys into that more optimistic view, Bohm will likely have to move off third at some point.

Schwarber is a free agent after 2025, which could perhaps allow Bohm to share first base and designated hitter with Harper. On the other hand, Nick Castellanos is under contract through 2026 and is also considered a weak defender, so perhaps he becomes the DH when Schwarber’s contract is up. The club has had past interest in trading Castellanos and he’s currently hitting .177/.233/.198, so there’s definitely a chance he’s no longer with the team by 2026 (whether due to a trade or release).

Bohm is controlled via arbitration through the 2026 season and could perhaps be extended beyond that point if the club really believes in his bat. But it’s not a perfect roster fit even after Schwarber and Castellanos are gone. Harper’s contract goes all the way through 2031, and it seems he’ll stay a first baseman and designated hitter for the rest of his career. Having Harper and Bohm locked in at those two spots isn’t ideal roster construction, as clubs often like to have at least some ability to rotate their regular players through the DH spot for a bit of rest.

For now, Bohm will stick at third and the club will likely be happy to live with his defense as long as he’s good in the batter’s box. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said as much a few years ago. “His key is he has to hit. If he hits well enough, you’ll live with the defensive aspect of it,” said Dombrowski after Bohm’s rough 2021 campaign. With Bohm’s results so far this year, he’s making things easy on Dombrowski and the Phils, and will continue to do so if he can keep it up.

Latest On Phillies' Rotation Plans

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Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker began the 2024 campaign on the injured list due to a shoulder issue, but he’s making good progress en route to a return to action. As noted by Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, club manager Rob Thomson told reporters recently that Walker would begin his rehab assignment with the club’s Single-A affiliate in Clearwater, Florida this week. That first rehab outing occurred Thursday night, with Walker allowing two runs over four innings of work while striking out four and walking none.

Per Thomson, that start was the first of what is expected to be four rehab appearances for Walker before he rejoins the Phillies’ big league roster. Walker’s return to action would seem to spell the end of right-hander Spencer Turnbull’s time in the Philadelphia rotation, likely ticketing him for a long relief role in the club’s bullpen. That may not be the case, however, as Coffey relays that Thomson has indicated that there could be a path for Turnbull to remain in the rotation even after Walker returns, noting that “if he keeps putting up zeroes… that’s tough to remove him from the rotation.”

Turnbull’s certainly done everything he can to justify a regular spot in the rotation to this point in the season. Through his first two appearances with the Phillies, the right-hander has struck out 13 batters in eleven scoreless innings against the Reds and Cardinals, scattering five hits and one walk during that time. While his start today against the Pirates left something to be desired, as he allowed three runs in four innings of work, that still leaves him with a solid 1.80 ERA through three turns in the club’s rotation. While it seems unlikely that Turnbull would bump any of Walker, Ranger Suarez, or Christopher Sanchez to the bullpen (much less co-aces Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola), Thomson suggested that the club could use Turnbull as a piggyback starter or even utilize a six-man rotation later this season in order to get the right-hander more reps.

Dodgers Acquire Connor Brogdon

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The Dodgers have acquired right-hander Connor Brogdon from the Phillies in exchange for minor league southpaw Benony Robles.  Both teams have announced the trade.

Philadelphia designated Brogdon for assignment earlier this week, and he will now switch teams for the first time in his professional career.  Brogdon was a 10th-round selection for the Phillies in the 2017 draft, and he had a 3.55 ERA, 24.1% strikeout rate, and 7.9% walk rate over 142 innings with the team from 2020-23.

Despite those generally solid numbers, the Phils shuffled Brogdon back and forth from the minors several times in his first three MLB seasons.  His production also dipped last season when his strikeout rate tipped to 20.5% and his walk rate jumped up to 10.2%, and Brogdon was tagged for five homers in 29 innings of work.  Between these red flags and a two-mile velocity drop on Brogdon’s fastball, the Phillies optioned the righty to Triple-A last June.

He didn’t make another big league appearance until this season, and Brogdon was hit hard for six earned runs in just two innings spread over three games.  With an ugly 27.00 ERA on his resume, Brogdon found himself on the Phillies’ DFA wire due to being out of minor league options.  He’ll now get a chance with another National League contender, and possibly might benefit from this specific change of scenery to a Dodgers team known for rehabilitating pitchers.

Robles was an international signing who began his pro career at age 18 with the Dodgers’ Dominican Summer League squad.  The southpaw’s control is a work in progress but he has shown some ability to miss bats, as evidenced by his whopping 38.7% strikeout rate in 32 2/3 innings at high-A Great Lakes last season.  Robles also had a 13.9% walk rate en route to a 3.86 ERA, so there’s some potential there for the 23-year-old as a relief weapon if he can limit the free passes.

Phillies Acquire José Rodríguez From White Sox

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The Phillies announced that they have acquired infielder José Rodríguez from the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to Double-A Reading. The infielder was designated for assignment by the Sox yesterday. The Phils have had an open spot on their 40-man roster since trading outfielder Jake Cave to the Rockies about two weeks ago, so they won’t need to make a corresponding move.

Rodríguez, 23 next month, got the briefest of major league debuts last year. He entered as a pinch runner and scored a run but has not yet made his first major league plate appearance. He split most of last year between Double-A and Triple-A, walking in just 4.1% of his plate appearances while striking out at a 21.9% rate. But he did hit 21 home runs and produced a batting line of .262/.292/.437, which led to a wRC+ of 87.

He also stole 31 bases on the year and bounced around the infield, playing the three positions on the dirt to the left of first base. The offense was subpar overall thanks to the lack of on-base ability but the power is obviously a nice attribute.

He was bumped off Chicago’s roster this week when that club make their signing of Mike Clevinger official but the Phils were clearly intrigued enough to use their open roster spot and some cash to get him into their organization. Rodríguez still has a couple of options and can be kept in the minors until the Phils decide he’s ready for another call-up.

The Phils have an infield consisting of Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm, with Whit Merrifield and Edmundo Sosa also on the active roster. Rodríguez will jump into a group of depth infielders on the 40-man that includes Kody Clemens, Darick Hall, Rodolfo Castro and Weston Wilson.

Phillies Sign José Godoy, Beau Burrows To Minor League Deals

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The Phillies have signed catcher José Godoy and right-hander Beau Burrows to minor league deals, per the transaction tracker of each player at MLB.com. Godoy is represented by The MAS+ Agency while Burrows is a Frontline client. Phillies Tailgate reported Godoy’s signing a few days ago while philliesbaseballfan.com had Burrows.

Godoy, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Rangers in February but it appears he was released at some point and now has a new deal with the Phillies. The backstop has a small amount of major league experience, with 62 plate appearances in 26 games, suiting up for the Mariners, Twins and Pirates. He hit .123/.194/.140 in that small sample of work.

Naturally, he has a larger and more impressive body of work at the Triple-A level. He has slashed .270/.328/.403 in 741 plate appearances there over five separate seasons. He’s also considered to be a strong defender behind the dish.

The Phils have J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs sharing the catching duties, but Rafael Marchán missed all of Spring Training due to back problems and hasn’t yet gotten back on the field. The Phil also signed Cam Gallagher and Aramis Garcia to minor league deals this offseason but the former has been placed on the restricted list, per Phillies Tailgate. It’s unclear why Gallagher is unavailable but it seems Godoy will share the catching duties with Garcia at LeHigh Valley for now.

Burrows, 27, has 17 2/3 innings of major league experience with an earned run average of 10.70 in that small sample. He spent last year in Atlanta’s minor league system with a 5.42 ERA in 76 1/3 innings, striking out 22.4% of batters faced while walking 10.6%. He had signed a minor league deal with the Twins a couple of months ago but was recently released.

Phillies Designate Connor Brogdon, Select Ricardo Pinto

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The Phillies announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Ricardo Pinto, with fellow righty Connor Brogdon designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

The Phils have had to lean heavily on their bullpen to start this season, using five relievers in each of the first three games and six relievers last night. Brogdon pitched in three of those four contests and didn’t fare well, allowing six earned runs in two innings. He struck out three batters but also issued six walks and allowed three hits, two of which were home runs.

That’s a small sample size but it continues a worrying trend for a pitcher who looked so strong not too long ago. From 2020 to 2022, he made 112 appearances for the Phils with a 3.42 earned run average. He struck out 25.1% of batters faced in that time and walked just 7.3%. He added another 8 2/3 innings in the 2022 postseason with a 2.08 ERA, helping the Phillies make it to the World Series.

But he took a step back last year, with his strikeout rate falling to 20.5% and his walk rate climbing to 10.2%. His ERA for the year was 4.03 but he was likely fortunate for it to be that low. His 80.6% strand rate was on the high side, which is why his 5.15 FIP and 4.59 SIERA were less optimistic than his ERA. As he struggled, he was optioned to the minors and burned his last option.

This year, he didn’t look sharp in his 7 2/3 spring innings, giving out six walks compared to seven strikeouts. As mentioned, those struggles have carried over into the regular season. His fastball was averaging 95-6 miles per hour in 2021 and 2022 but was down to 94.7 mph last year and has been 92.8 mph so far this year. With the bullpen fairly taxed and Brogdon now out of options, he’s been squeezed out as the club adds a fresh arm.

The Phils will now have a week to either trade Brogdon or pass him through waivers. His recent form is obviously not very exciting but he could perhaps attract some other clubs based on his previous results. He came into this season with two years and 139 days of service time, meaning he could be controlled for three seasons beyond this one if he gets a roster spot elsewhere.

Pinto, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Phils in February. He spent 2023 pitching in the Mexican League for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos and the Diablos Rojos del México, then headed to Venezuela for some time in winter ball. He logged 137 2/3 innings between Mexico and Venezuela with a 4.12 ERA, 17.6% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate. He tossed 5 2/3 innings in Spring Training recently, striking out three but also walking three.

He’s out of options and will need to be removed from the 40-man entirely if the Phils want to bump him off the roster in the future. He previously pitched for the 2017 Phillies and 2019 Rays, with a career ERA of 8.44 in 32 big league innings thus far.

Phillies Place Luis Ortiz On 15-Day Injured List

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The Phillies announced that right-hander Luis Ortiz has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain.  Righty Nick Nelson was called up to take Ortiz’s spot on the active roster.

The injury compounded a tough day on the mound for Ortiz Saturday, as he was charged with two earned runs over two-third of an inning in Philadelphia’s 12-4 loss to the Braves.  Ortiz appeared to hurt his ankle while attempting a fielding play in the fifth inning, and though he returned to the mound in the top of the sixth, he was pulled after allowing singles to the first two batters faced.

While the severity of the sprain isn’t yet known, it isn’t a great sign that Ortiz is immediately heading to the IL, rather than the common practice of taking a day or two to monitor swelling.  It could be that the Phillies recognized that Ortiz would be delaying the inevitable in waiting to go on the injured list, and sidelining him now also allows the team to get a fresh arm into the bullpen.  The Phils’ relief corps has already seen a lot of work over a pair of lopsided losses to Atlanta in Philadelphia’s first two games.

Ortiz is in his second season with the Phillies, and posted a 3.32 ERA over 19 relief innings for the club in 2023 despite a lot of roster shuffling in the form of numerous trips back and forth from Triple-A.  Prior to last season, Ortiz had thrown only 14 1/3 total big league frames sprinkled across three seasons with the Orioles and Giants from 2018-22, and he didn’t pitch in the majors at all in 2020 or 2021.  The Rangers selected Ortiz 30th overall in the 2014 draft, and he drew some top-100 prospect attention during his time in the minors.

Yankees, Mets Remain Interested In Jordan Montgomery

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With Opening Day a matter of days away, one of the offseason’s top free agent arms remains available in southpaw Jordan Montgomery. Reporting yesterday indicated that the lefty has multiple long-term offers on the table, though it’s unclear which clubs those offers have come from. Today, Joel Sherman of the New York Post indicates that both the Yankees and Mets have yet to “shut the door” on a hypothetical deal with the 31-year-old.

It’s hardly the first time a Montgomery-Yankees reunion has been rumored. A report last week revealed that the sides had “reopened discussions,” and the sides have been loosely connected all throughout the winter even as the lefty appeared to prefer a return to Texas while the Yankees pursued fellow southpaw and Scott Boras client Blake Snell. Per Sherman, the Yankees have provided Montgomery’s camp with a range at which they are comfortable striking a deal with the lefty, though the sides remain apart as things stand even as Montgomery’s asking price has dropped as the start of the regular season approaches.

Sherman indicates that Montgomery’s initial ask was in a similar range to the seven-year, $172MM deal signed by right-hander Aaron Nola back in November, but he’s since begun to target the extension Tyler Glasnow signed with the Dodgers as a potential comp. Glasnow’s deal was announced by the Dodgers as worth $136.5MM over five years, though it’s worth noting that figure includes his $25MM salary for the 2023 season. In other words, that deal guaranteed Glasnow just $111.5MM in new money over four years.

The Yankees don’t appear to be interest in going to that level to secure Montgomery’s services, however. Sherman indicates that the club has “privately assessed” Montgomery to be a #3 starter, suggesting that the club’s range of comfort could be closer to the four-year, $80MM deal veteran southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez signed with the Diamondbacks back in December. While a gap of roughly $30MM is significant, it’s hardly completely insurmountable. New York reportedly made a six-year, $150MM offer to Snell back in January, suggesting a willingness to stretch their budget to land an arm of Montgomery’s caliber. Particularly in light of the sudden uncertainty the club’s rotation is facing with ace right-hander Gerrit Cole set to miss at least a couple of months to open the season, it would hardly be a surprise to see Montgomery and the Yankees find some common ground and work out a deal at some point.

The Mets’ interest, by contrast, does not appear to be as advanced as their AL counterparts. Sherman indicates that the club’s strategy regarding Montgomery is similar to the one they employed when negotiating with veteran DH J.D. Martinez, who eventually signed with them on a one-year deal that guarantees $12MM, though the majority of that money is deferred. That’s not to say that David Stearns’s front office values the two Boras Corporation clients identically; even considering the depressed market Montgomery is likely facing this late into his free agency, it would be a shock to see him sign a similar deal to the one inked by Martinez. Rather, it appears that the Mets don’t expect to get more deeply involved in Montgomery’s market unless his asking price drops into their established range of interest.

The 31-year-old would be a surefire upgrade to either club’s rotation if signed. Over the past three seasons, few pitchers have been more reliable than Montgomery, who sports a 3.48 ERA (121 ERA+) and 3.62 FIP across 94 starts. Only five pitchers—Cole, Nola, Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, and Jose Berrios—have started more regular season games over the past three years, and of that group only Cole and Gausman have posted a lower ERA during that time. With that being said, Montgomery’s lengthy free agency has wiped out the opportunity for him to have a normal Spring Training and will almost assuredly leave whatever club signs the southpaw to remain without him for at least the first few weeks of the regular season.

The New York clubs aren’t Montgomery’s only known suitors. The left-hander has frequently been tied to the Red Sox throughout the winter, and more recent reporting has connected him to Philadelphia as well. On the other hand, the rumor mill has been mostly quiet about Boston and Montgomery in recent weeks, while Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer) that the club is not “actively seeking” free agent pitching at the moment, even in the wake of the news that right-hander Taijuan Walker will open the season on the injured list due to a shoulder impingement.

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