Phillies To Promote Johan Rojas
The Phillies are going to advertise outfielder Johan Rojas to the foremost leagues, as first reported by Mike Rodriguez. The transfer can be relayed by Matt Gelb of The Athletic, who provides that outfielder Cristian Pache appears to be heading to the injured checklist. He additionally provides that Drew Ellis will take the roster spot of Josh Harrison, who was positioned on the injured checklist in the course of the All-Star break on account of a proper wrist contusion. Rojas is already on the 40-man roster however shall be making his main league debut as quickly as he will get right into a recreation.
Rojas, 22, was a part of the Phillies’ 2017-2018 worldwide signing class and ascended to the radar of prospect evaluators within the years that adopted. Baseball America ranked him the membership’s #11 prospect in 2020 and he’s been within the prime 10 in every season since. His velocity and protection are thought-about his standout traits, and he has showcased these wheels by stealing 159 bases in 430 minor league video games up to now in his profession. Defensively, he’s largely performed heart area however has additionally slotted right into a nook every so often.
His offense, nonetheless, has usually been thought-about a bit behind these traits. In 2021, he hit .262/.329/.417 within the decrease ranges of the farm system for a wRC+ of 102. Final yr, he cut up his time between Excessive-A and Double-A, slashing simply .244/.309/.354 for a wRC+ of 83. Regardless of these tepid outcomes on the plate, the Phils favored the general package deal sufficient that they didn’t need to danger dropping him within the Rule 5 draft and thus added him to their roster in November.
The Phils returned him to Double-A this yr and the outcomes have been much more encouraging, as he’s hit .306/.361/.484 for a wRC+ of 129, stealing 30 bases within the course of. That robust displaying will get him a shot within the large leagues, leaping proper over the Triple-A stage.
The membership might have recalled extra skilled gamers on their roster corresponding to Jake Cave or Simón Muzziotti, each of whom are on the 40-man roster, at present in Triple-A and have already been to the massive leagues. However it’s potential that this promotion is for a part-time function that fits the ability set of Rojas. The membership usually has an outfield of Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos on most days. Maybe Rojas will take over Pache’s function, taking the occasional begin in heart whereas additionally serving as a defensive substitute or pinch runner.
The precise nature of Pache’s harm isn’t identified, as Gelb solely experiences that it’s minor. His upcoming placement on the IL could be backdated as a result of latest All-Star break, so it’s potential that Rojas will get a quick style of the foremost leagues earlier than heading again all the way down to the farm.
