Ronald

Torreyes

Torreyes re-signed on a minor league contract last month but was unable to land a spot on the Phillies’ Opening Day roster. He asked for his release after spending a few weeks at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The versatile 29-year-old infielder, who appeared in a career-high 111 games last year in Philadelphia, should be able to land a new opportunity somewhere else as a reserve bench specialist.

It seems noteworthy that the Phils sent two infielders down and kept Bryson Stott around. Torreyes has been a favorite of manager Joe Girardi for a while and will probably wind up back in the majors at some point.

The 29-year-old had previously refused an outright minor league assignment back in November after being removed from the Phillies 40-man roster. Torreyes slashed .242/.286/.346 last season over 318 at-bats with seven home runs.

Torreyes was among a handful of Phillies that have refused an outright minor-league assignment after being removed from the team’s 40-man roster. The versatile 29-year-old veteran put together a solid season at the dish, slashing .242/.286/.346 with a career-high seven home runs and two steals across 344 plate appearances.

So is Jean Segura, as the Phils are resting a couple regulars the day after they were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Andrew Knapp is catching and Ronald Torreyes is at second base.

Torreyes came off the bench to put the Phillies ahead with a three-run shot to left-center field -- his seventh long ball of the season -- off lefty reliever Anthony Banda in the sixth inning. It was the first time he’s gone deep since August 14.

Hoskins left Sunday’s game early, but his exit was considered precautionary. Still, it’s worth wondering if his groin is 100 percent. The expectation is that he will return to action on Wednesday. Brad Miller will start at first base while Ronald Torreyes will play third base on Tuesday night versus Tampa Bay.

Torreyes clobbered a solo shot off Luis Castillo to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. The infielder has hit six homers in the 2021 season, and has been swinging the bat well as of late. On top of that, he’s also a much better defender at third than Alec Bohm, and that’s going to keep him in the lineup right now.

Bohm has recorded a disappointing .250/.306/.347 triple-slash line with seven homers across 395 plate appearances, and recently moved across the diamond to first base to open up everyday at-bats for Ronald Torreyes, who is also a superior defender. It’s been a rough season for the 25-year-old slugger, who showed plenty of promise in his big-league debut last year.

Didi Gregorius remains the Phillies’ primary shortstop, but Torreyes had been the better player both offensively and defensively this year, and while it’s quite possibly Gregorius will outhit him the rest of the way, the difference in defensive means the Phillies might be better off using Torreyes anyway. Torreyes is batting a solid .276/.328/.408 in 192 plate appearances.