The Phillies have pounced on the waiver market so far this offseason, continuing the trend on Monday afternoon by claiming another reliever. To make room for the new addition, a long-tenured member of the organization was taken off the 40-man roster.
Right-hander Yoan López was added to Philadelphia’s roster off waivers from Atlanta, the Phillies announced. Outfielder Roman Quinn was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Quinn, 28, has played in parts of five major-league seasons for the Phillies since being drafted by them in the second round in 2011. A unique and — at certain times — game-changing talent, Quinn has been one of the fastest players in Major League Baseball from the time he made his debut in 2016. He’s consistently ranked near the top of the sprint speed leaderboard, and his 30.5 feet per second measure was second across the majors in 2020, according to Statcast.
The glaring issue throughout Quinn’s career has been his ability to remain on the field. Due to a plethora of injuries, the outfielder has never been able to complete a full season of professional baseball. The most games he played in a single regular season came in 2016 when he played 92 games between the majors and minors.
After being drafted as a right-handed-hitting outfielder in 2011, Quinn began his career in short-season ball in 2012 and was converted to a switch-hitting shortstop. He hit 11 triples and stole 30 bases in 66 games.
The next year in Low-A, he broke his right wrist in June. Then he tore his right Achilles after that season.
He got a late start in 2014 due to injury, but performed well in High-A Clearwater. He moved back to center field that summer when first rounder J.P. Crawford was promoted to play shortstop. After the season, he participated in the Arizona Fall League and played in the Fall Stars Game.
In 2015, Quinn played in Double-A Reading. He batted .306 and was named an Eastern League All-Star, but his season ended in June when he suffered a left hip injury. Quinn returned to Reading in 2016 and missed significant time with an oblique injury, but was promoted to the majors in September.
He opened the next season in Triple-A, but injured his left UCL, ending his season after 45 games. He spent time in both Triple-A and the majors in 2018, playing 50 games for the Phillies but did injure his right middle finger early in the season, which caused him to miss time. He also played through a small toe fracture in September.
Quinn hurt his oblique in spring training in 2019, then returned to play 44 games in the majors before a groin injury in August cut his season short.
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Quinn was on the major-league roster on opening day for the first time. He played in 41 of 60 games, but did miss games in September with a concussion.
Early in the 2021 season, Quinn saw some early playing time as the Phillies lacked a clear everyday center fielder. He struggled to produce on offense, going 2-for-32 to start the year. But as he started to put together better plate appearances, Quinn tore his left Achilles, ending another season early.
His speed was impactful at certain moments, but Quinn’s body ultimately didn’t allow him to string enough of those moments together. He played a total of 178 games for the Phillies, batting .228/.306/.355 with eight home runs, eight triples and 39 bases in 47 attempts.
Quinn needed to be designated for assignment because the Phillies’ 40-man roster was full when they claimed López.
López, 28, pitched in parts of four seasons for the Diamondbacks before he was traded to Atlanta in May. He was a reliable relief option for Arizona in 2019, posting a 3.41 ERA in 60 2/3 innings over 70 appearances.
However he struggled in 2020 with a 5.95 ERA in 20 outings. After starting 2021 with a 6.57 ERA in 13 appearances, the Diamondbacks dealt him to the Braves. He then held a 3.28 ERA in 35 relief outings in Triple-A Gwinnett.
López is the fourth pitcher the Phillies have claimed off waivers this offseason and the first righty. They added left-handers Ryan Sheriff, Kent Emanuel and Scott Moss earlier this month.
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