Phillies news and rumors 6/7: Club trades with Rays for minor-league outfielder

The Phillies’ fixations ahead of the trade deadline are reportedly on the outfield market, and Thursday provided evidence — low-stakes though it may be — of that assessment.

The club traded for Ruben Cardenas from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations, as first reported by ESPN‘s Kiley McDaniel. Cardenas, 26, has slashed .281/.346/.530 in Triple-A this year.

Ruben Cardenas drives in his team-leading 26th run with a double to left, extending the lead to 3-1! pic.twitter.com/AnZqgIDSl0

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) May 30, 2024

Cardenas’ calling card is his power. He’s hit 11 homers in 49 games this year, after 22 in 132 last year and 19 in 86 the year prior. It comes with a fair dose of strikeouts, though, as is typical: He’s struck out 21% of the time, which is an improvement from 26.4% last year. His walk rate has about halved this season, to just under 6%.

Cardenas likely won’t be the most prominent outfield move the Phillies make in trade season, but one could argue a few need to be made, so this one at least serves as depth. They could also use some right-handed pop, so Cardenas helps fill that void, too, in a small way. He wasn’t on the Rays’ 40-man roster, so he won’t take up a roster spot with the Phillies.

Must-Read Phillies Content

• Just Baseball co-founder and executive editor Aram Leighton wrote a guest piece for Phillies Nation about what prospects the team could — and would — realistically move ahead of the trade deadline.
• From Matt Gelb of The Athletic: “The juggernaut Phillies keep riding the wave and can feel something special building”
• Some Phillies observations from Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, including on Nick Castellanos and the right-handed relievers.

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