The Phillies once again added an additional reliever thanks to a waiver claim. Left-handed reliever Kevin Siegrist was claimed by the Phillies on Saturday afternoon. The move means that the Phillies needed room on their 40-man roster. To create that space, the Phillies officially shut down starter Jerad Eickhoff for the rest of the season, placing him on the 60-day disabled list.
Eickhoff was placed on the 10-day disabled list earlier this week after leaving Wednesday's doubleheader early with a finger issue. The diagnosis was nerve irritation in his throwing hand. With only a month left, the Phillies will let Eickhoff heal through the offseason.
As for Siegrist, his availability was somewhat of a surprise. The Cardinals activated Siegrist from the 60-day disabled list, but released him instead of finding room to keep him. While Siegrist has had a down 2017 season, Siegrist was very effective for the Cardinals in 2015 and 2016.
In 2015, Siegrist was 7-1 with a 2.17 earned run average, including 11 games finished. He led the league in games played with 81 and picked up seven saves. He also struck out 10.8 per nine innings pitched.
The following season was strong, though not as dominant. In 2016 Siegrist went 6-3 with a 2.73 earned run average, picking up three saves and striking out 9.6 per nine innings pitching. But 2017 would bring a couple injuries and diminished velocity.
Siegrist last pitched on June 22 in Philadelphia, when he gave up two earned runs to the Phillies in a 5-1 Cardinals loss. Afterward, Siegrist was placed on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis. This could explain why his mid- to high-90s fastball was around 92 – 93 miles per hour in 2017.
Siegrist will get the rest of September for the Phillies to get a look at him for a potential spot in the bullpen in 2018. Siegrist has two more years of control, so the Phillies will hope that he returns to his former dominant form. The Phillies Major League roster will be up to 27 players once Siegrist is added, though the Phillies could add more once the minor league seasons end on Monday.
