Phillies make under-the-radar move to bolster struggling outfield
Phillies make solid addition to weak outfield by claiming Óscar Mercado
The Philadelphia Phillies are making moves to fill the gaping hole left by Bryce Harper’s injury.
In addition to recalling Mickey Moniak from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, the Phillies announced on Monday that they claimed outfielder Óscar Mercado off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians, who designated him for assignment on June 21.
In a corresponding move, they placed pitched Damon Jones on the 60-Day Injured List with left shoulder impingement to make room for Mercado on the 40-man roster. The Phillies also announced that they will make room for Mercado on the 26-man roster when he reports.
Mercado was the St. Louis Cardinals’ second-round pick in 2013 and made his debut with Cleveland in 2019. Over 272 career games over the last four years, he’s hit .235/.287/.388 with a .676 OPS, 43 doubles, and 26 home runs. However, aside from his first season when he played 115 games and finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting, he hasn’t seen consistent playing time. That 2019 was his best season suggests he can improve if he’s an everyday contributor.
Defense, in general, has been a glaring issue for this otherwise winning team. A lack of outfield options, both internally with Moniak starting the season on the IL and Harper’s UCL tear relegating him to the DH role, and few external candidates, essentially forced the Phillies to play with one hand tied behind their back. The results are staggering; their -30 is tied for the worst mark in baseball in Defensive Runs Saved and they rank 29th in Outs Above Average with a -27.
Mercado has experience at all three outfield spots, but primarily centerfield, where he has a career .996 fielding percentage over 921 2/3 innings with only one error. He’s been a consistently above-average defender, so hopefully, a change of scenery and more playing time will help him rebound at the plate. He certainly won’t magically fix the entire defense, but he’s definitely an improvement.
Claiming Mercado doesn’t feel like a solution as much as the first step in something bigger. How does adding him to the roster impact Moniak, Matt Vierling, and Odubel Herrera? Is someone getting traded? We’ll keep you appraised of what comes next.
