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Velasquez Added To 25-Man Roster; Several Cut From Camp

It turned out that this week wouldn’t decide who would join Jeremy Hellickson, Aaron Nola, Charlie Morton and Jerad Eickhoff in the Phillies starting rotation.

Pete Mackanin announced Monday that Vince Velasquez would start his 2016 season with the Phillies.

Adam Morgan has been optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The team has also optioned left-handed pitcher Elvis Araujo, right-handed pitcher Luis Garcia and outfielder Darnell Sweeney. Meanwhile, catcher Logan Moore, infielder Angelys Nina, right-handed pitchers Reiner Roibal and Chris Leroux, and left-handed pitcher Bobby LaFromboise have been reassigned to minor league camp.

The Phillies report 38 players still remain in major league camp; with five roster spots ostensibly open (two outfield, three bullpen).

Velasquez – who with Eickhoff will stay in Florida through the weekend, pitching April 2 before heading to Cincinnati – went 1-1 with a 4.37 ERA over 55 innings last season with Houston. He pitched well this spring, turning in a 3.21 ERA with 16 strikeouts and four walks in 14 innings. He starts today’s game against Toronto.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.