Minor-league week in review: Darick Hall stays hot at right time

Lehigh Valley IronPigs slugger Darick Hall maintained a hot bat in the latest week of the minor-league season, producing at a time when the big-league Phillies could use a hitter on the roster.

Hall went 10-for-28 with five extra-base hits in the IronPigs’ most recent six-game series, helping the Triple-A club improve to 40-32 on the season.

The Double-A Reading Fightin Phils are currently 29-40; the High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws are 25-44; the Low-A Clearwater Threshers are 36-32.

Hall keeps on hitting

The 26-year-old Hall batted .357 with three doubles and a pair of home runs as Lehigh Valley hosted Norfolk at Coca-Cola Park this past week. The 6-foot-4, 232-pound first baseman drove in nine runs and walked twice, even stealing a base on Thursday.

Darick Hall puts a hurt on the UniFirst sign with an absolute missile for a two-run home run in the ninth inning for Lehigh Valley tonight … It’s home run #19 and RBIs #63 and #64 this year for Hall pic.twitter.com/T7SLucUU0g

— Mitch Rupert (@Mitch_Rupert) June 25, 2022

Hall now has 19 home runs and 66 RBIs in 71 games, while posting a .892 OPS. His continued success has come at a time when the Phillies are likely keeping a close eye on the bats at Lehigh Valley.

With reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper hitting the injured list with a broken left thumb on Saturday, the team will have at-bats to be taken at designated hitter or in the outfield. And, as The Athletic‘s Matt Gelb noted, Philadelphia will need even more players during a two-game set in Toronto next month as there are a number of players unvaccinated against COVID-19, preventing them from traveling to Canada.

The Phillies did add outfielder Óscar Mercado to the roster off waivers on Monday, but Hall could certainly still be a candidate for a call-up at some point in the near future.

Sand returns to ‘Pigs

Catcher Donny Sands returned from the IL to the IronPigs lineup for the first time since May 7 on Sunday. He went 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.

The 26-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Yankees before the season. He has a .923 OPS in 23 Triple-A games.

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