NEW YORK — The Phillies made an in-house move in an attempt to upgrade their bench before Tuesday night’s game against the New York Mets.
The Phils added veteran infielder Trevor Plouffe to their roster and sent outfielder Dylan Cozens back to Triple A. To clear room for Plouffe on the 40-man roster, the Phillies designated lefty reliever Hoby Milner for assignment.
Plouffe, 32, is a veteran of eight big-league seasons, mostly with the Minnesota Twins. He signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies early in the season and was hitting .240 with 11 homers, 33 RBIs and a .839 OPS in 60 games at Triple A Lehigh Valley.
Plouffe is primarily a third baseman. He has also played first base and second base. He is a career .242 hitter with 105 big-league homers and a .714 OPS.
The move to add Plouffe comes a day after Phillies pinch-hitters were 0 for 3 (double play, two strikeouts) in a 4-3 loss in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader against the Mets. All of those at-bats came with runners on base.
Entering Tuesday, Phillies pinch-hitters — subtracting Nick Williams — were 14 for 96 (.146) with two homers and 10 RBIs. Williams was 10 for 21 with three homers and eight RBIs.
Cozens, 24, is a power-hitting prospect who needs to improve his contact skills. He is not going to do that sitting on the Phillies’ bench. He will return to Triple A and get regular at-bats. He was 2 for 18 with a homer in limited duty with the Phils. He struck out 12 times and walked just three.
MLB
The Phillies will continue to look to bolster their bench before the July 31 trade deadline.
In another move, the Phillies officially activated pitcher Enyel De Los Santos, Tuesday night’s starting pitcher. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, infielder Pedro Florimon was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.