Phillies DFA Sam Coonrod to make room for Josh Harrison

The Philadelphia Phillies officially announced the signing of veteran infielder Josh Harrison to a one-year deal Monday afternoon.

In a corresponding move, the club has designated reliever Sam Coonrod for assignment. This will clear a 40-man roster spot for Harrison, who is a virtual lock to be on the Opening Day roster given that he’s been guaranteed $2 million, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

Coonrod will now be subject to waivers. If he clears them, one would think the Phillies would like to keep the hard-throwing righty in the organization. After all, they reached a $775,000 agreement with Coonrod back in November, when he had seemed like a non-tender candidate given that he was eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career.

Sam Coonrod, Filthy 3 pitch K Sequence (90mph Change, 99mph Sinker, 90mph Change). pic.twitter.com/KdU1UNHxt4

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 5, 2021

Acquired in a trade from the San Francisco Giants in January of 2021, Coonrod has flashed a potentially elite arsenal of pitches at times with the Phillies.

However, a right shoulder strain kept Coonrod from making his first appearance during the 2022 season until August, and he posted a 7.82 ERA in 12 games for the Phillies this past campaign. Ultimately, he was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in late September, and didn’t appear in a game during the improbable postseason run that the Phillies went on.

In parts of four MLB seasons with the Giants and Phillies, the 30-year-old has a 5.27 ERA and 4.42 FIP across 105 appearances.

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