When Carson DeMartini injured his wrist in May with the Reading Fightin’ Phils, it was especially frustrating because the former fourth-round pick seemed to have finally figured out Double-A pitching. After 66 games in pinstripes at FirstEnergy Stadium in 2025, the 23-year-old infielder slashed .202/.291/.288 with only two home runs. It was discouraging stuff after a strong start to the season at High-A Jersey Shore.
But up to May 6, 2026, DeMartini hit .274 with four homers and a .793 OPS. The Virginia Beach native was back on track. It would be nearly three months to the day before he played another Double-A game.
So when DeMartini rejoined his teammates and slashed .308/.490/.598 with six home runs in 35 games the rest of the way through the season en route to an Eastern League championship, Reading’s first since 1995, the party was back on.
DeMartini finished the year with a .934 OPS in 245 plate appearances, but it’s not enough. To continue his strong campaign, he’ll join the Criollos de Caguas of Puerto Rico's Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (RCPBL) this winter.
Phillies infield prospect Carson DeMartini will be playing Winter Ball in Puerto Rico this offseason for Criollos de Caguas! pic.twitter.com/3VomFvevvK
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) October 18, 2026
There, he’ll enter a clubhouse with five Major Leaguers: Luis Vazquez, former Phillies farmhand Vimael Machin, Nelson Velasquez, Bryan Torres, and Jose Espada.
It’s a big leap for DeMartini. The level of play in the RCPBL is typically stronger than in Double-A. Most of the league’s players compete at higher levels and are older than the Phillies’ prospect.
Nevertheless, DeMartini could use a stiff increase in competition. He’ll likely join Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start next year. Though he’s behind other infield prospects like Aiden Miller and Bryan Rincon on the minor league depth chart, DeMartini could compete with the big league club if his strong performance continues.
DeMartini models his game after one of the Phillies' most hated rivals
DeMartini is ranked as the Phillies No. 23 prospect, but he’s playing with some helium and will place higher on the next iteration of that list after his strong season. He ranks as a slightly above-average second baseman and third baseman and, strangely, models his game after one of the most hated Phillies killers of all time: David Wright.
“[Wright] is as good as it gets when it comes to playing on the biggest stage in baseball, being the number one guy. He's the captain and then always stays even-keeled; you never saw him get flustered. He was never in trouble,” DeMartini said several years ago. “I think that's the biggest thing to take away is that every single day he's the same guy, whatever happened out there.”
To give DeMartini some credit, both players grew up in the same hometown, and his father, Tommy DeMartini, coached Wright when he was a teenager back in the ‘90s. In fact, Tommy coached all four Wright brothers, and the two families remain close to this day.
If DeMartini can become half the player Wright once was, Phillies fans might one day thank the former New York Mets third baseman.
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