With the July 30 MLB Trade Deadline less than a week away, the Phillies are looking to chart a path forward to the playoffs. The Phillies have been linked to a few players thus far, but so far the Phillies have not made any moves. So when two top Phillies prospects were removed from their respective games Friday night, it got people's attention.
First, Johan Rojas was removed from his game for Class A Clearwater. Rojas is a slick-fielding center fielder currently among the top Phillies prospects on MLB Pipeline. The Twitter account Picks Shelf was first to note that Rojas was removed from the game.
Then, Double-A Reading star and former first round draft pick Bryson Stott was removed from his game. Stott is ranked the number two prospect on MLB Pipeline and is currently ranked number 100 on the MLB Pipeline Top 100.
So what does it all mean? So far, nothing. Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that he has been told that Rojas was not traded. He had no answer for the absence of Stott.
These could be false alarms, but it's a sign that the 2021 Phillies Hot Stove is open.
