Mitchell

Walding

Walding was in the process of converting from corner infield to catcher this season after signing a minor league contract with the Padres last month. The 29-year-old infielder appeared in 15 games with the Phillies from 2018 to 2019.

San Diego plans to convert the corner infielder to catcher. Walding has a strong arm and a solid left-handed bat, so the position change could extend his career. The 29-year-old made a late season swing adjustment in the minors which sparked a .304/.382/.620 slash line in September.

Walding, 28, had cups of coffee with the Phillies in 2018 and 2019. He’s merely a depth addition.

Walding had been designated for assignment. He will remain in the organization.

Walding is 1-for-19 in his career at the MLB level and was batting .204 in 346 plate appearances this season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 26-year-old infielder seems likely to pass through waivers unclaimed.

Walding was only up for a few days and struck out in both of his plate appearances. Sean Rodriguez is taking his spot on the bench.

Walding will help to provide depth in the infield for the Phillies with Jean Segura and Scott Kingery both heading to the injured list on Saturday. He’s a career .059/.158/.235 hitter in 19 plate appearances at the big league level and won’t see enough playing time to be relevant from a fantasy perspective.

The 26-year-old some success in Grapefruit League play, hitting .304 (7-for-23) with a homer and two RBI, but it wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the club’s Opening Day roster. He’ll bide his time at Triple-A until he’s needed.

With Roman Quinn and Maikel Franco both banged up, Walding will provide some extra depth on the bench for the Phillies. Walding has hit .265/.390/.474 with 19 homers and 69 RBI in 119 games at Triple-A this season, though he has gone hitless in 14 at-bats with a remarkable 10 strikeouts in his limited time with the Phillies.

Walding had his contract purchased from Triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier in the day and he replaced Pedro Florimon (foot) in the starting lineup. A golden sombrero wasn’t exactly what the 25-year-old had in mind. He’ll need to start hitting soon if he wants to see any semblance of regular playing time in the City of Brotherly Love. For now, avoid him in all fantasy formats.