Prior to tonight’s game against the Chicago Cubs, the Phillies returned outfielder Austin Hays from his rehab assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley and reinstated him from the 10-day injured list. To make room for him on the 28-man roster, outfielder Cal Stevenson was optioned to the spring training complex.
Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcement.
Hays, 29, hit .254 (17-67) with six extra-base hits and five RBI in 19 games with the Phillies before being placed on the injured list with a kidney infection on Sept. 5 (retro to Sept. 2). He went 2-for-9 with a walk and three runs scored in two rehab games with the IronPigs. Of 184 right-handed hitters with at least 80 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this season, Hays’ .350 batting average ranks seventh. Originally selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft, Hays was acquired by the Phillies in a trade with Baltimore on July 26.
The 28-year-old Stevenson batted .286 (4-14) with three doubles, five RBI, one walk and two runs scored in 11 games for the Phillies after being recalled from Lehigh Valley on Sept. 5. In seven plate appearances as a pinch-hitter this season, Stevenson is 2-for-6 (.333) with a walk and three RBI. He was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 10th round of the 2018 MLB Draft and was claimed off waivers by the Phillies from the San Francisco Giants on May 26, 2023.
