Phillies announce that they activated Jay Bruce from the 10-day injured list. To make room on the roster, Matt Klentak sent Adam Haseley down to Lehigh Valley. This move is a headscratcher for me as Haseley is one of the bright spots for the Phillies this season.
At the trade deadline, Klentak bolstered the Phillies bench by acquiring Corey Dickerson. The move was a good one as he adds a quality bat to the lineup. It was thought that by acquiring Dickerson, he and/or Bruce would be relegated to the bench as an extra bat. The move has many questioning why?
Phillies Send Down the Wrong Guy
I mean the Phillies are in a playoff race. So they chose to send down one of their better players. Haseley’s line is .274/.315/.452 with three homers and 12 RBI. What is more important is that Haseley is one of the few hitters driving in runs. He is currently hitting .353 with RISP, the best on the team. That with the fact his last ten games he has been amazing, hitting .333.
The Phillies had other options to send down and Haseley was not the top of my list. First would be Roman Quinn. The Phillies would have to put him on waivers. His asset is his speed, however, he is not a good major league hitter. His line is .195/.271/.322. However, he has no options remaining. The Phillies would have to put him on waivers. But let it sink in that Kapler and Klentak would rather keep a guy who they don’t bat before the pitcher over Haseley?
Other than Quinn, you have Sean Rodriguez and Brad Miller. The Phillies would have to designate him for assignment (DFA). Again to be sent down he would have to clear waivers. Rodriguez’s line is .229/.313/.400. As for Miller, he appears to have options remaining. Being an infielder, it makes sense to keep him on the roster, however, Miller isn’t producing. His line is .214/.360/.476.
The smart move would have been to send down Ranger Suarez and platoon both Bruce and Dickerson. That way the could have lept the right-handed bats of Rodriguez and Miller.
What’s the thought process?
This statement from Kapler doesn’t make sense. Haseley is playing every day for the Phillies and improving. So the Phillies make the decision to go with two players coming off of injuries instead of the surging Haseley? Haseley has the upside, he is the future. After a slow start, he is settling in and figuring out how to hit major league pitching.
So now the Phillies are going to start Dickerson, with a groin issue, at centerfield and Bruce, with an oblique issue in left. This doesn’t make any sense to me and it appears that neither Kapler, Klentak or MacPhail have a vision for the future. “It’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for him.”
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
