The Phillies again made use of their high priority in the waiver order, claiming left-handed reliever Zac Curtis off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
Curtis, 25, was the Diamondbacks' sixth-round pick in 2014. He made 21 appearances out of Arizona's bullpen in 2016 and three more for Seattle this season. In 18 career innings, he has a 5.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP with 12 strikeouts and 14 walks.
In four minor-league seasons, Curtis owns a 2.44 ERA with 229 strikeouts and 54 walks in 162⅓ innings.
Curtis was part of a high-profile trade last offseason when he was shipped by Arizona along with infielder Jean Segura to Seattle for starting pitcher Taijuan Walker.
Because the Phillies have the worst record in the National League, they had the first crack at Curtis once every American League team passed on him.
To make room for Curtis on the 40-man roster, the Phillies transferred righty Jesen Therrien (elbow) to the 60-day DL.
Curtis is the third reliever the Phillies have claimed off waivers in the last two weeks. They brought in Juan Nicasio on Aug. 3 (only to later trade him to St. Louis) and lefty Kevin Siegrist on Sept. 2.
MLB
Phillies call up Henderson Alvarez
In a separate move, the Phillies brought up veteran right-hander Henderson Alvarez, according to the pitcher himself via a pair of retweets.
Alvarez was pitching for the Long Island Ducks of the Independent League when the Phillies signed him on Aug. 22. He made three starts with Triple A Lehigh Valley and went 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA.
Alvarez was an All-Star in 2014 with the Marlins, when he went 12-7 with a 2.65 ERA in 30 starts. But arm injuries sapped him of his effectiveness and kept him out of the majors from early in the 2015 season until now.