The Phillies made a series of roster changes ahead of their game against the Marlins, including adding catcher Aramis Garcia to the major league squad after selecting his contract from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Right-hander Jose Cuas has also joined the organization after being claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays and assigned to Triple-A. To make room, the Phillies designated right-hander Nick Nelson for assignment and moved infielder Rodolfo Castro to the 60-day injured list. Castro had been called up from Triple-A before being placed on the IL, with his season ending due to a thumb ligament tear suffered in late August.
Garcia has been brought up to provide extra depth behind the plate, as J.T. Realmuto is dealing with a minor injury. Manager Rob Thomson, speaking to reporters (including Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer), mentioned that Realmuto will need a few days to recover after fouling a ball off his knee, but the team doesn’t expect him to go on the 10-day IL. In the meantime, Garcia and Garrett Stubbs will handle catching duties.
This marks the second time this season that Cuas has switched teams via waivers, with the Blue Jays previously claiming him from the Cubs in June. Cuas pitched three innings in four games for Toronto but was DFA’ed earlier this week, after posting a rough 7.71 ERA over 16 1/3 innings with the Blue Jays and Cubs this season. That’s a significant drop from his 3.84 ERA over 103 innings with the Royals and Cubs during 2022-23, though shaky underlying metrics suggested trouble was brewing.
Cuas has struggled with control issues in both the majors and minors this season, carrying a 6.67 ERA over 27 Triple-A innings. However, he continues to generate swings and misses, and the Phillies are intrigued by his plus sweeper pitch. Cuas will effectively take over as a depth option in place of Nelson.
Nelson, previously designated for assignment last month and outrighted to Lehigh Valley after clearing waivers, now has the option to decline another outright assignment and opt for free agency. Injuries have limited his appearances, as he pitched 68 2/3 innings across 47 games for the Phillies in 2022 but only logged 10 2/3 innings this season in five MLB outings.