Phillies announce pair of roster moves prior to July 2 game against the Nationals

Prior to Sunday's game against the Washington Nationals, the Philadelphia Phillies announced a pair of roster moves that directly affect their everyday starting lineup.

• INF Kody Clemens optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
• 1B Darick Hall recalled from Triple-A.

This move is a necessary one, and is one that many will not be shocked to see. Clemens, 27, is in his second season in the big leagues and things have not gotten off to a great start for him. Acquired in January in the Gregory Soto trade, the infielder made it into 47 games for the Phillies before the club decided enough was enough.

Clemens ultimately managed to record just four home runs with 13 runs batted in, along with a .230 average and 76 OPS+ before being optioned. His lack of discipline at the plate lead him to swinging at way too many pitches and he didn't draw enough walks to consistently get on base.

Coming up from Triple-A is Hall, who at one point was supposed to be the club's every day starter at first base once Rhys Hoskins went down for the year. After making it into just six games, Hall went down with an injury of his own with a right thumb sprain. He eventually was transferred to the 60-day injured list and was optioned to Triple-A once he returned on June 19.

Upon his demotion to Lehigh Valley, the 27-year-old made it into 21 games for the IronPigs and really saw his bat take off. In 80 at-bats, Hall hit seven doubles with three home runs and 15 runs batted in while walking (14) nearly as many times as he struck out (17), which is an encouraging sign out of him. Along the way, he also hit .330 with an OPS of .944, so the Phillies are making the smart move here to swap out a cold bat in Clemens for a hot bat in Hall's.