NEW YORK — In their endless search for a right-handed bat, the Phillies are turning to a well-traveled 38-year-old outfielder.
Tommy Pham, released by two teams in the last three months, has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies, a major-league source confirmed Saturday. He will likely join triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Pham can opt out of the deal if he isn’t in the majors by July 25, nine days before the trade deadline, according to ESPN.com, which initially reported the agreement.
The Phillies bypassed other opportunities to acquire Pham, notably at the 2024 trade deadline. But through Friday, their right-handed hitters combined for a .605 OPS, last in the majors by a wide margin.
Pham is a .256 hitter with 149 homers and a .764 OPS in 13 seasons with 10 teams. Two years ago, he had a 70-game stretch for the White Sox in which he batted .266 with five homers and was 3% better than league average, based on OPS+.
But it’s been a while since Pham was productive at the major-league level. He went 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts in April with the Mets before getting released. In 16 triple-A games with the Orioles, he went 12-for-61 (.197) with four homers and a .696 OPS.
The Phillies are running two outfield platoons. Lefty-hitting rookies Justin Crawford and Gabriel Rincones Jr. start against right-handed pitchers; righty-swinging Derek Hill and Edmundo Sosa start against lefties.
Entering play Saturday, Phillies outfielders had a .668 OPS, tied for 26th at the position despite an All-Star-caliber season from Brandon Marsh.
Ricky Bottalico spouts opinions each day on sports-talk radio and the Phillies’ television pre- and postgame show. But before all that, he had a solid career as a relief pitcher, even representing the Phillies in the 1996 All-Star Game at Veterans Stadium. With the baseball world set to descend on Philly again in a few weeks, Ricky Bo joined “Phillies Extra” to re-live his All-Star experience. Watch here.
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