When the Phillies needed a 40-man roster spot to add third baseman Trevor Plouffe to the roster, it cost the club the roster spot of left-handed reliever Hoby Milner. That meant that the club had 10 days to trade, release, or assign Milner outright to the minors, should he pass through waivers. The Phillies opted for a minor deal.
The Phillies announced that they have traded Milner's contract to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations. Milner was likely to be claimed. The left-handed reliever market remains very thin; even former Phillies pitcher Mike Zagurski is still getting opportunities in the major leagues in 2018, 11 years removed from his Phillies debut.
The Cleveland Indians thought enough of Milner to select him in the Rule 5 draft in 2017. Milner was returned to the Phillies at the end of Spring Training and ultimately made the Phillies roster.
Milner pitched in 37 games in 2017, compiling a 2.01 earned run average. However, Milner struggled in the 10 games he pitched for the Phillies in 2018, with a WHIP of 1.93 and 7.70 earned run average. Milner was briefly recalled on Monday to give the Phillies an extra bullpen arm on the day of the double-header and was designated for assignment the next day.
