Philadelphia Phillies acquire Jayson Nix to serve as backup shortstop

The Phillies had some success with Jayson Werth. They had much less success with Laynce Nix. Now we’ll see how they do with Jayson Nix.

The Phillies’ Opening Day roster appears set with the addition of the utility infielder who was obtained from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash. Nix – Laynce’s brother – is a six-year veteran who played for the Yankees in 2013. He is not an especially strong hitter (how many backup infielders are?) with a lifetime batting average of .218. To his credit, he walks at a decent rate, and has three seasons of double-digit homers (although the last time that happened was in 2010).

Nix is taking the place of Freddy Galvis who was expected to be the team’s backup shortstop before suffering a MRSA infection. Non-roster invitees Reid Brignac and Ronny Cedeno were thought to be the main competitors for that spot, but Cedeno was released earlier this week, and Brignac was informed today that he wouldn’t be on the Opening Day roster.

It will be somewhat interesting to see what happens when Galvis is healthy enough to return. If Nix is doing an adequate job, the team may decide that Galvis is better served getting regular playing time – and hopefully improving his hitting – in the minors.