The Philadelphia Phillies continue to add depth this season in the minor leagues after the latest trade, bringing in utility man Donovan Walton. Walton brings some major league experience to the Phillies, having played in 70 games, most recently nine games in 2024 with the San Francisco Giants.
The Phillies made the trade with the New York Mets earlier this week, giving the Mets cash considerations in return. Walton goes to the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, who activated Walton on Wednesday. Walton was not on the Mets' 40-man roster and is not on the Phillies 40-man roster, either.
Phillies add Donovan Walton from Mets purely as depth at Triple-A
The Phillies made the move after infielder Christian Arroyo was placed on the IL by the IronPigs. They also assigned shortstop Erick Brito to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.
Walton, 31, has a slash line of .222/.315/.377 this season in Triple-A and a career slash line of .174/.227/.305 in the majors. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2016 out of Oklahoma State University before making his MLB debut in September 2019. He spent four seasons with the Mariners before playing two years with the Giants. He signed with the Mets this past offseason before getting dealt to the Phillies.
While Donovan has not hit well for average, his power numbers are higher, as his 11 home runs this season are already his most since 2021 when he hit a career-high 13.
Donovan Walton punctuates an eight-run eighth inning with his 11th home run of the season! pic.twitter.com/frxefQ2aQU
— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) June 25, 2025
He's a below-average defender and has seen time at second base, shortstop, first base, third base and left field. At shortstop, his fielding percentage is .965 after committing 42 errors in the minors. In his limited MLB time, his career fielding percentage is .977, compared to the league average of .980.
This is a minor league depth move for the Phillies, especially with the trade deadline approaching and knowing that potentially plenty of prospects could be on the move. The Phillies have not been shy about making minor league trades, especially for pitching. Since the beginning of May, the Phillies have acquired right-handers Daniel Robert and Nolan Hoffman, left-hander Josh Walker and third-baseman Nick Dunn to the organization in the minor leagues.