Gabriel

Rincones Jr.

The Phillies needed to create two roster spots with Luis Arraez, Caleb Kilian and Brooks Raley entering and Seth Johnson exiting in trades Monday, so down go Rincones and reliever Kyle Backhus. Rincones was given a chance to take over in right after Adolis García got hurt, but he hit .167/.202/.286 with a 29/2 K/BB in 89 plate appearances. Bryce Harper is going to take over as the Phillies’ right fielder now.

Rincones crushed a no-doubter to right field against Marlins starter Ryan Gusto in the second inning. He picked up an additional RBI with a bases-loaded ground on in the ensuing frame. The 25-year-old corner outfielder was called up last Friday to replace an injured Adolis García, who is likely to miss the rest of the season with a lat tear. He should have plenty of runway to prove he belongs at the highest level, but the Phillies are likely to find a veteran upgrade prior to the trade deadline.

Rincones has hit just .215/.344/.291 between three Phillies affiliates this year after injuring his knee during the offseason. He was just activated off rehab assignment on May 26. This feels aggressive, and Rincones may only play against left-handers, but the Phillies will see if they can find lightning in a bottle here. Rincones doesn’t need to be a priority fantasy baseball pickup.

Curet came over in an offseason trade with the Rays and offers enough strikeout upside to envision a back-end rotation or multi-inning relief role down the road. He’ll need to iron out some control issues to reach that potential. Chace and Cabrera are among the better pitching prospects in Philadelphia’s system and should ascend to the majors later this year.

Painter is the major headliner here for fantasy purposes as he should enter spring training with a legitimate chance to make Philadelphia’s rotation. The 22-year-old is no longer the consensus top pitching prospect in baseball after a disappointing campaign last year at the Triple-A level, but he still has the raw stuff required to evolve into a top-of-the-rotation arm. There’s clearly some prospect fatigue going on with Painter which makes him an interesting buy-low candidate in dynasty formats.

Abel, who just made his spring debut in giving up three earned runs in 1 2/3 innings versus Boston today, was one of the premier pitching prospects in baseball just two years ago, but wound up stalling out in the upper minors, and has yet to reach the big leagues. The 23-year-old was added to Philadelphia’s 40-man roster during the offseason and figures to reach the majors at some point this season if injuries strike the rotation.

Three homers in 12 at-bats. Rincones, a 2022 third-round pick, hit .263/.357/.487 with 11 homers in 59 games for Double-A Reading last season. He’ll be a candidate for major league time this season if the Phillies experience more outfield injuries.