The Philadelphia Phillies made a 40-man roster move on Sunday by signing outfielder Bryan De La Cruz to a one-year major league deal and immediately optioning him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Phillies designated right-handed pitcher for assignment. The team announced the move before its series finale against the Kansas City Royals.
The move keeps De La Cruz in the organization after he exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league contract. Philadelphia signed the 29-year-old outfielder to a minor league deal last November.
De La Cruz has yet to appear in the majors this season but has produced for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, batting .254 with a .344 on-base percentage, a .429 slugging percentage, 12 home runs and 51 RBIs in 75 games.
The Dominican Republic native debuted with the Miami Marlins in 2021 and has also played for the Houston Astros, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves. Across 491 career major league games, he owns a .251/.295/.402 slash line with 58 home runs.
The Phillies announced the move after Saturday night’s 6-1 win over Kansas City, a result that improved the club to 50-39 and kept it in second place in the National League East.
Cabrera, a 24-year-old right-hander signed by the Phillies as an international free agent in 2019, has not made his major league debut. He posted a 9.10 ERA across 15 starts between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season before being designated for assignment.
With right fielder Adolis GarcÃa out for the season and Gabriel Rincones struggling at the major league level, the Phillies preserved experienced outfield depth by keeping De La Cruz in the organization. The move also gives Philadelphia another veteran option if a big-league opening develops later this season.
