The Phillies have reportedly signed former St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres infielder Greg Garcia to a minor-league deal, according to Bryce Miller of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He’ll report to the team’s alternate site in Lehigh Valley and has the ability to opt-out of the deal on May 2.
Garcia, 31, spent the last two seasons with the Padres, slashing .240/.351/.337 with four home runs and 42 RBIs. He was non-tendered by San Diego in the offseason and signed a minor-league deal with Detroit, but failed to make the team after a rough spring at the plate.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe left-handed-hitting infielder has split time between second base, shortstop and third base. With Jean Segura on the 10-day injured list and Ronald Torreyes on the COVID IL, the Phillies have every infielder on their 40-man roster up with the big club. That means their infield depth at the alternate site is thin, so Garcia’s signing should help to mitigate that issue.
Garcia could also be a candidate to be called up to the big league club if the injury situation gets any worse. In the event that more players have to miss time due to COVID-19 contact tracing, MLB could designate the situation as an outbreak and allow players who are not on the 40-man roster a chance to play without having to be subjected to waivers once they are eventually sent back down to Triple-A. In that scenario, the Phillies would be more likely to call up prospects who are not on the 40-man roster since they would not have to worry about losing them to waivers once the COVID situation resolves itself. So far, the Phillies have three players on the COVID IL (Torreyes, Matt Moore and Jose Alvarado).
The Phillies don’t have that luxury when it comes to normal injuries sustained so if another infielder has to be placed on the IL, Garcia could be added to the 40-man roster and taken off when players eventually return from injury.
MORE FROM PHILLIES NATION
- Phillies 2021 Walk-Up Songs
- Phillies Nation Top 20 Phillies Prospects: March 2021
- What’s The Latest On Cole Hamels?
- Aaron Nola Isn’t Perfect, But He’s An Ace
- Inside The Phillies Plan To Fix Former Top Prospect Scott Kingery
- Which Center Fielders Could The Phillies Target In A Trade?
- With McCutchen Off To A Slow Start, Would Girardi Use Bryce Harper As Leadoff Hitter?
- What Fans Should Know Before Returning To Citizens Bank Park
- What Will Former No. 1 Overall Pick Mark Appel’s Role Be In The Phillies Organization?
- J.T. Realmuto Could Have Been Traded For Another Future Phillie In 2014
