Phillies sign former first-round pick amid flurry of minor-league moves

At any level of professional baseball, depth is key. Injuries and poor performance are inevitable, so you can never have too many players stockpiled at any position in all levels of an organization. This is why the Philadelphia Phillies signed a former big leaguer as a part of several roster moves throughout their farm system.

On May 13, the Phillies signed first baseman/outfielder Seth Beer to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Double-A Reading. It was a series of five moves made to Reading's roster, with players coming to the Fightin Phils from Triple-A and High-A.

Phillies take a flier on former first-rounder Seth Beer

Beer is by far the most recognizable name among those transactions, as he has the most major-league experience. His story is very interesting, and it begins in 2018, when Beer was selected 28th overall in the first round of the MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. Beer was a star at Clemson University, hitting .321 with 56 home runs and an OPS of 1.137 over three seasons for the Tigers.

Just one year after being drafted, Beer was shipped to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the 2019 trade deadline in a blockbuster trade involving Zack Greinke. Beer made his MLB debut in the 2021 season, playing in just five games but hitting .444 with a homer in nine at-bats. The 2022 season is the last that Beer has played in the majors, and in total, he's tallied just a .208 average in 120 MLB at-bats.

He has performed far better in the minors, which is where he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in 2024 after the Pirates selected him in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft. Going into the 2025 season, Beer found himself out of affiliated baseball and chose to sign with an independent team, the Long Island Ducks, where he performed well enough to catch the Phillies' attention.

Fireballer John McMillon among flurry of Phillies' minor-league roster moves

The player with the second-most MLB experience among the roster moves is right-handed pitcher John McMillon, who has actually performed well in limited MLB experience in 2023 and 2024. In 16 innings combined for the Kansas City Royals and Miami Marlins, McMillon has accumulated a 1.69 ERA with 21 strikeouts to five walks.

He's struggled mightily with an alarming 14.29 ERA and 10 walks in just 5 2/3 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, causing his demotion to Reading after spending some time on the development list. Pitching depth was the reason the Phillies claimed McMillon off waivers from the Marlins this past offseason, as was their recent trade with the Texas Rangers for Daniel Robert, who made his Phillies debut on Wednesday.

Right-handed pitcher Josh Hejka gets the promotion to Reading from High-A Jersey Shore to fill a roster spot left by another fellow righty pitcher, Jack Dallas. The submarine-throwing Hejka was acquired in a trade with the New York Mets in early February and has allowed five earned runs in six innings, although he's had great command with six strikeouts to zero walks.

Dallas was signed as a minor-league free agent in August 2022 and the 26-year-old has risen up the Phillies' farm system from Low-A Clearwater to Reading since then. He's started three games in his carreer but is used primarily as a reliever, with a career 2.59 ERA. Along with placing Dallas on the MiLB's temporarily inactive list, they demoted a pair of players to Jersey Shore.

Left-handed pitcher Wesley Moore was also signed by the Phillies as a minor-league free agent in 2022. Moore has a 7.04 ERA in eight relief appearances for Reading this year, including one save. Center fielder Elio Prado was also sent down to the BlueClaws after only hitting 16-for-84 for a .190 average. The 23-year-old was acquired by the Phillies from the Baltimore Orioles in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft this past December.

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