When reliever David Hale entered Wednesday's game against the Washington Nationals, Phillies manager Joe Girardi had a choice: Either Hale would enter the game then, or he would enter the game in a late inning. Girardi chose the former, and the results were disasterous. Hale, the club's mop up reliever, allowed all three inherited runners to score, as well as three of his own. The Phillies front office had seen enough.
The Phillies announced several moves today, perhaps most notably that Hale's contract has been designated for assignment. The Phillies will have 10 days to release, trade, or outright Hale off of the roster. Hale can reject an outright assignment to the minor leagues.
The Phillies also placed reliever Sam Coonrod on the 10-day Injured List. The diagnosis is right forearm tendinitis. Coonrod was the pitcher responsible for the bases loaded on Wednesday ahead of Hale. He issued three walks and seemed to lack command.
The Phillies will give veteran reliever Neftali Feliz a look in the bullpen. Feliz was a one-time closer with the Texas Rangers, but has not pitched in the major leagues since 2017. The Phillies are promoting Feliz after 15 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where Feliz was an impressive 2-1 with a 1.26 earned run average for the IronPigs. In his major league career, Feliz has a 3.49 earned run average and 107 saves in 357 games.
Nick Maton will also re-join the Phillies, taking Coonrod's spot on the roster. It has not been 10 days since Maton was optioned to Triple-A, but with an injury a club may make an exception to the rule. Maton's demotion Wednesday was to make room for Matt Moore, who will start one of today's games in New York.
Finally, Enyel De Los Santos will join the Phillies as the 27th man for the doubleheader.
