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Phillies Designate James Norwood For Assignment

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The Phillies announced Monday that right-hander James Norwood has been designated for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for fellow right-hander Michael Kelly, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phils also reinstated catcher Rafael Marchan from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A.

Acquired from the Padres in an offseason deal that sent minor league infielder Kervin Pichardo to San Diego, Norwood has pitched 17 1/3 innings of relief out of the Philadelphia bullpen but has been tagged for 17 earned runs in that time. The damage hasn’t been confined to one or two poor outings, either, as Norwood has yielded runs in eight of his 20 appearances on the season so far. Overall, he’s yielded 24 hits (two of them homers) and nine walks while punching out 22 batters.

Norwood is out of minor league options — a large reason he was designated by the Padres in the first place — so the Phils couldn’t send him down without first designating him for assignment. They’ll have a week to try to trade him or pass him through outright waivers now. The former seventh-rounder has a decent track record in Triple-A, a fastball that averages just under 97 mph and a splitter that gets him plenty of chases and whiffs. Add in a decent track record in the upper minors, and it’s not out of the question that another bullpen-needy club would want to speculate via waiver claim or perhaps a small trade.

As for the 29-year-old Kelly, he’ll make his big league debut whenever he steps onto the mound for the first time. It’s the culmination of a 11-year baseball odyssey for the 2011 No. 48 overall pick. Originally selected by the Padres, Kelly also spent time with the Orioles, Astros and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League before joining the Phillies as a minor league free agent this winter. He’s pitched to a lackluster 5.00 ERA in 18 innings with the IronPigs so far, but Kelly has also punched out 33.8% of his opponents in that time.

Phillies Place Moniak On IL; Recall Muzziotti

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TODAY: The Phillies announced they’ve placed Moniak on the 10-day IL, and they’ve recalled Simon Muzziotti from Double-A.  The 23-year-old Muzziotti, who hails from Venezuela, ranked 10th among Phillies prospects according to Baseball America.  BA gave Muzziotti a 55 grade, noting he’s a plus defender and one of the best hitters in the club’s farm system.

YESTERDAY: Phillies outfielder Mickey Moniak recently suffered a fracture in his right hand, reports Mike Gill of 97.3 ESPN (Twitter link). Gill suggests he’ll miss four-to-six weeks, while Bob Nightengale of USA Today indicates it’ll be nearer to the end of that timetable.

Moniak was hit by a pitch in his final exhibition game. While initial x-rays suggested he’d suffered only a bone bruise, further testing revealed the more unfortunate diagnosis. Moniak is certain to wind up on the injured list, a disappointing development after the club announced this morning that he’d made the Opening Day roster.

The left-handed hitting Moniak has made 55 plate appearances in 29 big league games. He’s not coming off a great season, as he hit just .238/.299/.447 in 99 contests with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Moniak has never developed into the kind of impact hitter the Phils were hoping when they selected him with the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. He has some speed and can play all three outfield positions, though, making him a possible fourth or fifth outfield option for skipper Joe Girardi.

Losing Moniak only further thins a center field group that already looks like the weak point on the Philadelphia roster. Presumptive starter Odúbel Herrera is on the IL as well after straining an oblique in Spring Training. Matt Vierling looks like the favorite for center field run in the early going, with prospect Simon Muzziotti a candidate for his first MLB call.

Vierling had a nice showing during his first big league run last September, but his .248/.331/.359 line with the IronPigs is far from overwhelming. Baseball America raked Muzziotti tenth in the Phillies farm system this offseason, praising his plus center field defense and athleticism but raising some concerns about his offensive impact. The 23-year-old only has twelve career games above A-ball.

Additionally, the Phils placed catcher Rafael Marchan on the 60-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, according to the club’s transactions tracker at MLB.com. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for top prospect Bryson Stott, who has been promoted to make his major league debut, as previously reported.

Phillies Notes: Bohm, O’Hoppe, Trade Market

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One of the less-discussed but clearly problematic elements of the MLB lockout is a lack of access to team employees and team facilities for players on the 40-man roster. As Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer explores, that’s particularly detrimental for still-developing players like Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up who floundered through a pronounced sophomore slump in 2021. The Phils hired a new hitting coach (Kevin Long) and infield coach (Bobby Dickerson) in part with the hope that the pair could help Bohm recapture his 2020 form. Bohm was able to meet with Long to discuss his approach at the plate multiple times prior to the lockout, but his access has since been cut off, forcing him to work out on his own.

It’s not a problem that’s unique to the Phillies, of course. Every team has young talent that would benefit from meeting with coaches and player development staff, to say nothing of utilizing team facilities for offseason training. That said, Bohm is an especially important player for the Phils, who selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in 2018 and who could also greatly benefit from the development of a cost-controlled star, given their expensive veterans elsewhere on the roster. The lack of access to the Phils’ spring complex is also particularly unfortunate for Bohm, as Lauber notes that the 25-year-old bought a condo in Clearwater a couple years back in order to have easier access to the team’s Spring Training facility in the offseason.

Some more notes out of Philly…

  • Unlike Bohm, catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe is free to communicate with Phillies staffers, as he’s not yet been added to the 40-man roster. The 21-year-old (22 next month) broke out with a big 2021 season, slashing .270/.331/.458 with 17 home runs across three levels before turning in an impressive Arizona Fall League showing. However, there’s no immediate path for O’Hoppe to rise to the big league roster thanks to the presence of J.T. Realmuto (and fellow catching prospect Rafael Marchan, in Triple-A). In a separate column, Lauber takes a look at O’Hoppe’s status in the organization. Phils farm director Preston Mattingly tells Lauber there’s “no question” O’Hoppe will remain a full-time catcher even with Realmuto signed another four years. While some young players may find it discouraging to be “blocked,” O’Hoppe instead tells Lauber that Realmuto’s presence gives him an opportunity to learn and become an even better catcher himself. Lauber chats with multiple scouts about O’Hoppe’s outlook and upside while exploring the possibility that at some point the team could deal from its catching depth, be it O’Hoppe or Marchan. Phils fans, in particular, will want to check out both Lauber columns for scouting insight on Bohm and O’Hoppe, as well as quotes from key organizational voices on the pair’s future.
  • As part of a reader mailbag, Matt Gelb of the Athletic suggests the Phillies could be a plausible trade partner with teams like the A’s and Brewers whenever the lockout concludes. Philadelphia has a strong core, led by reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper, Realmuto and a quality group at the front of the rotation. Yet the team has potential weaknesses at both positions on the left side of the infield and in the two outfield spots alongside Harper, in addition to their seemingly annual bullpen question marks. Gelb floats Oakland righty Lou Trivino — who could be on the move as part of a broader A’s sell-off — and Milwaukee center fielder Lorenzo Cain among the players who might pique the Phils’ interest. With Cain set to make $18MM in the final season of a five-year contract, Milwaukee would probably have to include some cash to facilitate a deal. Yet even entering his age-36 campaign, the two-time All-Star would likely be an upgrade over Philadelphia’s lackluster in-house options at the position.

Phillies Designate Enyel De Los Santos

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The Phillies announced that right-hander Enyel De Los Santos has been designated for assignment.  The move creates roster space for catcher Andrew Knapp’s activation off the COVID-related injury list, and catcher Rafael Marchan has also been optioned to Triple-A.

De Los Santos has been shuttled up and down between the Phillies’ roster and Triple-A Lehigh Valley multiple times this season, with the righty posting a 6.75 ERA and a strong 30.7% strikeout rate over 28 innings out of Philadelphia’s bullpen.  While his strikeout totals have increased by leaps and bounds this season at both the MLB and minor league levels, home runs have continued to plague De Los Santos in the big leagues.  Since the start of the 2019 season, De Los Santos has allowed 11 homers in only 39 innings pitched for the Phils.

This marks the second time in as many seasons that the Phillies have designated De Los Santos, and he was able to clear waivers last year before being outrighted off the 40-man roster.  De Los Santos is only 25 years old, so another team might be interested in taking a late-season flier to bring him into their organization, particularly with his improved strikeout numbers.  De Los Santos whiffed 66 of 184 batters faced in Triple-A and the majors this season, good for a very impressive 35.9% strikeout rate.

NL East Notes: Rodriguez, Marchan, Phils, Braves, Kieboom

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The Phillies are known to have interest in Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez, and Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports (Twitter link) that catcher Rafael Marchan has been part of the trade talks between the two Pennsylvania clubs.  Marchan is ranked fourth on MLB Pipeline’s list of Philadelphia’s top 30 prospects, though Marchan has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate ever since J.T. Realmuto re-signed with the club.  Marchan has received a bit of big league playing time in each of the last two seasons but only made his Triple-A debut in 2021, hitting an underwhelming .200/.285/.215 over 151 plate appearances.  The 22-year-old also missed a good chunk of Spring Training due to a hamstring injury.

The Phillies lead all of baseball with 23 blown saves, though Ranger Suarez has pitched well and more or less supplanted Hector Neris as the primary closer in recent weeks.  Since Suarez’s four saves this season represent his entire career total, acquiring a more proven ninth-inning hurler (though Rodriguez himself only became a full-time closer this season) would go a long way towards solving one of the Phillies’ weaknesses.

More from the NL East…

  • The Braves haven’t yet made any move towards being deadline sellers, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter) reports that Atlanta is still looking to add players.  After splitting a doubleheader with the Mets yesterday, the Braves are 49-51 and five games behind division-leading New York, with the Phillies now sitting between the two teams in second place.  Atlanta has three games remaining in their series with the Mets, so it isn’t a stretch to say that this series could decide the Braves’ season.
  • The Nationals could be open to trades for almost anyone on their roster, though Carter Kieboom may not be available, as FanSided’s Robert Murray reports that the Nats recently declined to discuss the infielder with an interested team.  Specifically, the suitor was told that Washington wouldn’t discuss a Kieboom trade “right now,” so while this could technically mean that the Nationals might willing to talk now that they’re more directly looking to sell, Murray figures the Nats aren’t likely to move one of their younger and more promising players.  While Kieboom has struggled over 173 PA in the majors, the 23-year-old isn’t far removed from being considered one of baseball’s top prospects.

Phillies Place Matt Joyce, Andrew Knapp On Injured List, Call Up Matt Vierling, Rafael Marchan

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The Phillies announced a number of roster moves this afternoon. Matt Joyce has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain and Andrew Knapp has been placed on the 7-day injured list because of a concussion. In their place, the Phillies have selected the contract of outfielder Matt Vierling and recalled catcher Rafael Marchan from Triple-A.

The 36-year-old Joyce has had a limited impact this season as an extra bat off the bench. In 62 plate appearances across 36 games, Joyce has slashed .100/.258/.240. In his defense, most of that action has come in a pinch-hitting role. True to his reputation, he’s also maintained a positive approach, posting a 16.1 percent walk rate and 22.6 percent strikeout rate. He has not been helped by an .086 BABIP mark.

The 24-year-old Vierling has not yet appeared in the Majors. He is, in fact, making the jump after just three games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He had not appeared above High-A before this season. Regardless, he ’s been on point so far this season, slashing a combined .354/.426/.616 in 115 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.

Like Joyce, Knapp has had a tough go of it this season: -1.0 bWAR and a triple slash line of .174/.234/.221 that’s far from characteristic of what the Phillies have come to expect from their long-time backup catcher.

Marchan has had a taste of the bigs in five games of action this season. He should slide seamlessly into his role backing up J.T. Realmuto.

Phillies Reinstate J.T. Realmuto From Injured List

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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.

Phillies Reinstate J.T. Realmuto From Covid-Related IL

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MAY 14: The Phillies announced that they have reinstated Realmuto and optioned righty Enyel De Los Santos to Triple-A.

MAY 13: 10:40am: Realmuto did not test positive, manager Joe Girardi tells reporters (link via Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia). He developed a fever and grew ill last night, however, so the Phils have moved him to the Covid list to perform testing. He is not traveling with the team at the moment.

10:10am: The Phillies announced this morning that catcher J.T. Realmuto has been placed on the Covid-19-related injured list. Fellow catcher Rafael Marchan is up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his spot on the active roster for the time being.

The team did not indicate at this time whether Realmuto has tested positive or is on the Covid list as a close contact or for contact-tracing purposes. In the event of a positive test, he’d be away from the club for a minimum of 10 days.

Realmuto, 30, is out to the finest start of his career in 2021, slashing a robust .314/.418/.520 with four homers, seven doubles, a triple and three steals through his first 33 games. That excellent production comes despite suffering a fractured thumb that cost him much of Spring Training. Recently, Realmuto has missed a couple games due to a minor knee injury, though the expectation had been that he’d avoid the IL for that particular issue.

With Realmuto sidelined for a yet-to-be-determined period of time, the Phillies will turn catching duties over to Andrew Knapp and the aforementioned Marchan. That pairing certainly can’t be expected to replicate Realmuto’s contributions at the plate — few catchers could — but Knapp did turn in a .278/.404/.444 line through 89 plate appearances last year. He’s out to a much slower start in 2021, however, and is an overall .228/.332/.345 hitter in 712 Major League plate appearances. The 22-year-old Marchan is one of the organization’s top prospects and is out to a .250/.429/.313 start through 21 plate appearances in Triple-A. He went 4-for-8 with a homer and a walk in a brief MLB debut effort last summer.

Phillies Option Scott Kingery, JoJo Romero; Release Christian Bethancourt

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The Phillies announced a set of roster moves, including the news that utilityman Scott Kingery, left-hander JoJo Romeo, and catcher Rafael Marchan have been optioned to Triple-A.  Outfielder Travis Jankowski and catcher Rodolfo Duran were reassigned to the team’s minor league camp, and catcher Christian Bethancourt (in camp on a minors contract) has been released.

Though Kingery has had a tough time at the plate in Spring Training, it still counts as something of a surprise to see the 26-year-old not break camp with the team.  While Kingery could be recalled in relatively short order, today’s move underlines how the former top prospect has struggled since the start of the 2020 season, a year that saw him suffer through a positive COVID-19 diagnosis during the summer and then hit just .159/.228/.283 in 124 plate appearances once he got onto the field.

The Phillies thought so highly of Kingery’s potential in 2018 that he was signed to a contract extension before even debuting in the majors.  Though he had a rough 2018 rookie season, Kingery looked to be turning the corner with a respectable .258/.315/.474 slash line over 500 plate appearances in 2019 before his season-long setback last year.  Heading into the current season, Kingery was seen as a candidate to win the Phillies’ center field job.  While Kingery would still have been a backup option at multiple other positions, it seemed as though he would primarily be focused on outfield work — perhaps a necessary move, given how Kingery has spoken in the past about the extra difficulties associated with a super-utility role.

With Kingery now in the minors, it could be a sign that the Phillies are confident that Brad Miller will be ready to go on Opening Day and assume super-utility duties.  Miller has been out since March 10 due to an oblique injury, but he is in Philadelphia’s lineup today for their Spring Training game with the Yankees.

Romero’s demotion also counts as a bit of a surprise, both because he’d pitched well in camp and because Jose Alvarado now looks to be the only left-hander in the Philly bullpen after Tony Watson opted out of his minor league contract earlier this week.  The hard-throwing Romero (a fourth-round pick for the Phillies in the 2016 draft) worked exclusively as a reliever when making his MLB debut in 2020, but since he has otherwise operated as a starting pitcher in the minors, he could be kept stretched out as potential rotation depth.

Bethancourt signed minor league contracts with the Phillies in each of the last two offseasons, but has yet to appear in a big league game with the team.  Bethancourt hit .222/.252/.316 over 489 PA with the Braves and Padres from 2013-17 and hasn’t since returned to the Show, spending 2018 with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate and playing in South Korea in 2019.

Phillies Select Rafael Marchan

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The Phillies announced they’ve selected the contract of catcher Rafael Marchan before the second game of today’s doubleheader with the Marlins. Right-hander Connor Brogdon was optioned to the alternate training site, while southpaw José Álvarez has been transferred to the 45-day injured list to open space on the 40-man roster.

Marchan currently ranks seventh among Phils’ farmhands at Baseball America. He’s drawn plaudits for his advanced receiving and game calling skills behind the plate. The 21-year-old has demonstrated strong bat-to-ball skills in the low minors, never striking out at greater than an 11.7% clip at any stop.

In the short-term, he’s likely on hand as injury insurance. J.T. Realmuto left last night’s game with hip discomfort and didn’t play in the first game today. Andrew Knapp will get the nod behind the plate in both sides of the twin bill.

Álvarez has been on the 10-day injured list since August 21 after taking a comebacker off the groin. At last check, he was hoping to return in the playoffs if the Phils qualify; there’s no indication those plans have changed.

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