The Philadelphia Phillies might be interested in shuffling their roster this season as they gear up for a potential playoff push, but they don’t have many options.
Though president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is always liable to seek help from outside of the organization, the team’s minor-league depth is markedly thin, particularly after the team opened this season by promoting Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter to the big-league squad.
“MLB Pipeline recently released their Top 30 prospects for each club. They ranked the Phillies’ system 20th,” Cole Weintraub wrote for NBC Sports Philadelphia earlier this year. “In other words, it’s thin.”
Philadelphia Phillies Cut Ties With Switch-Hitting Shortstop Sergio Alcantara
The Phillies only possess two prospects ranked within the overall top-100: shortstop Aidan Miller and pitcher Gage Wood. And Miller has been struggling with a black issues this year, halting his development.
And now, even with their top infield prospect sidelined and their overall minor-league depth being tested, the Phillies have cut ties with a player who seemed to be among their most promising infield options.
According to the official transactions log, the Phillies released shortstop Sergio Alcantara shortly after signing him to a minor-league contract.
Former Philadelphia Phillies Infielder Sergio Alcantara Released After Stints With 4 Major-League Clubs
Alcantara made his big-league debut with the Detroit Tigers during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, then saw major-league stints with the Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants before joining the Phillies’ organization.
Across four seasons in the big leagues, he slashed .207/.278/.340, including a 71-game season with the Diamondbacks when he batted .241 with six homers and 26 RBI.
But he appeared in just one game with the Giants last year, and Alcantara then signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to Spring Training from the Washington Nationals for this season.
But he was released without ever making the big-league roster and he joined the Phillies in late March, appearing in 35 games for the Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs before being released again.
Alcantara slashed .223/.389/.348 in that stint and, evidently, that was not what the Phillies were looking for, even with their limited infield depth.
Still, it seems possible the Phillies could come to regret that decision, particularly if Miller doesn’t become a viable big-league option soon.
With seven more $27 million seasons ahead on his blockbuster contract, franchise shortstop Trea Turner seems to be losing something at the plate. And while Alcantara has never really profiled as a true big-league solution for a contending team like the Phillies, some additional depth certainly wouldn’t hurt.