Former Phillie Phil Gosselin back in majors for Braves as Ozzie Albies hits IL

The Goose is loose once again in Atlanta.

Former Phillies utility player Phil Gosselin is heading to the major leagues for the first time this season, the Braves announced Tuesday afternoon. He’s replacing second baseman Ozzie Albies on the active roster after the two-time All-Star was placed on the 60-day injured list with a fractured left foot.

Gosselin, a West Chester native and a high school standout at Malvern Prep, played parts of two seasons in Philadelphia in 2019 and 2020. After hitting two home runs in his first game in 2020, he solidified himself as a regular option against left-handed pitching for the rest of the shortened season. Gosselin had a .726 OPS with three homers in 39 games that year.

Goose showed off the power in today’s game. ?

pic.twitter.com/n32OpyFKp4

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) July 25, 2020

The right-handed hitter played with the Angels last season, appearing in 104 games, before signing a minor-league deal with Atlanta ahead of 2022. Through 49 games this year with Triple-A Gwinnett, Gosselin had a .830 OPS and five home runs. The 33-year-old will now rejoin the Braves, the same club he played for in the first two-and-a-half seasons of his major-league career in 2013-2015.

Of course, replacing a player of Albies’ caliber is no easy task for any team or player. The switch hitter hasn’t quite performed up to his standards at the plate this season, posting a .694 OPS, but he’s still a plus defender and has been a core member of an Atlanta team that has won its last 12 games.

The Braves (35-27) currently sit 3.5 games ahead of the Phillies (31-30) for the last National League wild-card spot, while Milwaukee (34-28) sits between both of them at one game back.

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