Phillies sign Fernando Salas to bolster bullpen depth
With another major bullpen injury, the Phillies have signed a veteran reliever.
The Phillies have signed veteran reliever Fernando Salas to a minor league deal in order to bolster their bullpen depth, according to Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors.
Adams says Salas will likely report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and be an emergency option as the Phillies continue to grapple with injuries in their bullpen.
Seranthony Dominguez is facing Tommy John Surgery after an MRI confirmed he had UCL damage in his pitching elbow. He’ll join David Robertson, Pat Neshek, Tommy Hunter, Victor Arano, Edubray Ramos, and Adam Morgan on the injured list, which makes up nearly the entire bullpen projected to be on the opening day roster.
Salas has nearly 500 innings of major league experience over nine seasons with four clubs, most recently for the Diamondbacks. With a career ERA of 3.90, he’s a serviceable arm at 34-years-old who could join the big league team God forbid another reliever goes down.
In 2011 Salas’ St. Louis Cardinals eliminated the Phillies in game five of the NLDS. Salas had a career-best 2.28 ERA in his second big league season.
Next. Bullpen coming back together soon?. dark
The signing of Salas also comes after All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel signed a three-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. Reports of Philadelphia having interest in Kimbrel were mixed, but most said they didn’t want to give him a multi-year deal.
Expect the Phillies to invest heavily in the bullpen before this summer’s trade deadline. The team scouted White Sox reliever Alex Colome and Will Smith of the Giants will be a hot commodity.