Minor-league week in review: Griff McGarry returns to mound

Griff McGarry (right) returned from injury this weekend (Cheryl Pursell)

Right-handed pitching prospect Griff McGarry made his way back to the mound off the injured list this past weekend, returning to play for Double-A Reading after sustaining a blister earlier this month.

The 2021 fifth-round pick started in Somerset on Saturday, tossing six scoreless innings in his second start for the Fightins. Reading is now 40-50 on the season; Triple-A Lehigh Valley is 51-42; High-A Jersey Shore is 31-58; Low-A Clearwater is 44-45.

McGarry gets back on track

McGarry, a hard-throwing righty, was promoted to Reading from Jersey Shore near the beginning of July, but left his first Double-A start early on July 6 with a blister. Finally back in action on once again on Saturday, the 23-year-old put together a fairly dominant outing as he allowed only two hits over six innings while striking out four.

In his first full season as a professional, McGarry has impressed with his power stuff while flashing the ability to throw it for strikes in a way he didn’t in college at Virginia. He’s posted a 3.76 ERA in 14 starts across two levels with 14.6 K/9 and 3.`18 K/BB.

His performance this season has brought some attention to McGarry as he’s risen through the ranks, which means his name could be brought up quite a bit over the next few months. Other teams will almost certainly pursue McGarry in talks ahead of next month’s trade deadline, but it doesn’t appear likely that the Phillies would move him. And if he is still pitching at a high level past that point, perhaps a role in the majors could present itself down the stretch as the club aims to crack the postseason for the first time since 2011.