Phillies Sign INF Ronald Torreyes to Minor-League Contract
The Phillies have made their first signing of 2020: infielder Ronald Torreyes to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.
The Philadelphia Phillies’ first signing of the new year is not a new starting pitcher nor reliever, but, rather, another minor-league signing.
On Tuesday, the club signed infielder Ronald Torreyes to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training, according to The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro.
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Torreyes, 27, reunites with Phillies manager Joe Girardi, as he played under the skipper with the New York Yankees during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, slashing .281/.311/.374 with 22 doubles, five triples, four home runs, 48 RBI, 21 walks and 63 strikeouts spanning 180 games and 505 plate appearances.
In 48 combined games since with the Yankees (2018, 41 games) and Minnesota Twins (2019, 7 games), however, the right-handed hitting Torreyes has slashed .267/.286/.345 with only eight extra-base hits spanning 119 plate appearances. He went just 3-for-16 with the Twins, and made his big-league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015.
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Torreyes serves as yet another utility infielder option for Girardi; he has experience playing second and third base, as well as shortstop. He will compete this spring training with fellow infield minor-league signees T.J. Rivera, Phil Gosselin, and Josh Harrison.
As NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury notes, all four in Torreyes, Rivera, Gosselin and Harrison “have big-league time and could be in play for a spot with the team as rosters jump from 25 to 26 men in 2020.”
The Phillies also on Tuesday made their minor-league signing of catcher Christian Bethancourt official. Just 78 days remain until Opening Day.