The Phillies have been hobbled by a number of injuries. Most recently, starter Jake Arrieta hit the 10-day injured list. But in the outfield the Phillies lost Jay Bruce and only recently got Roman Quinn back, and then losing Kyle Garlick to an oblique injury on Tuesday night. So could Mickey Moniak be the next man up?
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports that Moniak is joining the Phillies:
Lots of buzz about Mickey Moniak being called up by Phillies. Hearing it’s true. Outfielder Kyle Garlick was injured last night.
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) September 16, 2020
What makes this interesting is that Bruce could be nearing a return.
According to Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic, a roster move will not happen today:
No roster moves yet for the Phillies. Garlick (oblique) and Arrieta (hamstring) awaiting test results. Bruce (quad) will be a couple more day on IL.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) September 16, 2020
So what might the other roster move be if Bruce and Moniak both head to Philadelphia? Could Arrieta hit the injured list and the Phillies carry an extra position player for a few days before they need someone to make the start? Is J.T. Realmuto hitting the injured list after all? There will probably be another shoe to drop if both Bruce and Moniak appears.
The Phillies have Adam Haseley and Scott Kingery as reserve outfielders at the moment. Kingery likely will be playing infield much more without first baseman Rhys Hoskins, and Bruce could be spending his time at first base and not the outfield as well.
Should Bruce not be activated yet, Moniak-for-Garlick could be the transaction. But perhaps both are headed to Philadelphia today to face Jacob deGrom and the New York Mets.
Moniak batted .256 with 11 home runs for Double-A Reading in 2019. He was added to the alternate site at the end of August.
