By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
On March 12, the Phillies made the signing of Jake Arrieta official. In order to make room for him, they designated Tommy Joseph for assignment. Just one week after getting DFA'd, Joseph has found a new home in Texas with former teammates Jake Diekman and Cole Hamels.
Rangers have received 1B Tommy Joseph on a waiver claim from Philadelphia. RHP Clayton Blackburn has been placed on the 60-day DL to make room on 40-man roster.
— John Blake (@RangerBlake) March 19, 2018
Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Gallo occupy the first base and designated hitter spots for Texas. Gallo is a career .201 hitter, but hit 41 home runs last year. Choo is 35 years old, well past his prime, but hit 22 home runs last season, slashing .257/.357/.453. Joseph will likely just compete for a bench spot on the Major League roster.
In 249 games for the Phillies, Joseph slashed .247/.297/.432 with 43 home runs and 116 RBIs. He was given every opportunity to become the Phillies' every day first baseman after Ryan Howard's departure, but Joseph's offensive regression combined with the emergence of Rhys Hoskins and the addition of Carlos Santana made him a quick afterthought on the roster. The Phillies tried him out in the outfield during spring, but the experiment didn't produce the best results and Joseph ended up getting released.
The Phillies originally acquired Joseph in 2012 as a part of the trade that sent Hunter Pence to the Giants. At that point he was a catching prospect, but multiple concussions forced him out from behind the plate.
