The Phillies have lost another player to injury.
On Tuesday night, Jay Bruce came out of the game mid-at bat against the Dodger’s Walker Buehler. After a checked swing, Bruce reached for his side. After a quick test swing, he reached for his side again and realized he had to come out of the game.
Todd Zolecki broke the news on Twitter that Bruce left the game with a strained right oblique.
The question now is who replaces the replacement for Andrew McCutchen.
There are essentially 3 options for the Phillies. One is very obvious and the other 2 could be quite interesting.
The least exciting option would be to recall Nick Williams. When he was demoted, Williams was hitting just .173 over 50 games with just 1 homer. That has since changed in Lehigh Valley. In 27 games in AAA, Williams has mashed. His slashline has been .358/.417/.651 for the Iron Pigs. Can he translate that swing to the mjaors? We will probably see as Williams is the most likely option. He’s the only outfielder on the 40-man roster.
The next step in excitement would be recently acquired, Logan Morrison. While his numbers don’t look exciting, he is just 2 years removed from blasting 38 home runs for the Tampa Bay Rays. Last season, he hit only .186 with 15 homers for the Twins.
The encouraging sign?
He’s matched that home run total this season in the minors in under half the at-bats. Morrison could be a benefactor of the juiced ball, as AAA just started to use the major league ball this season. He could be the next Jay Bruce.
Finally, the most interesting move would be to call up a newbie to the majors. Austin Listi has been great since getting the call from AA Reading. His slashline of .349/.441/.709 is very similar to Nick Williams. In 2018, Listi also found success in A+ and AA, hitting .312/.412/.502.
So the Phillies have to choose between the young potential, veteran presence, or rookie excitement.
Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
