The Phillies announced that catcher Aramis Garcia, who was designated for assignment a couple of days ago, has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He has the right to elect free agency but it’s not yet clear if he has chosen to do so.
Garcia, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in the offseason. He got into 74 games at the Triple-A level but without much to show for it. He did hit eight home runs and steal six bases but he only walked 4.4% of the time and was punched out at a 35.6% rate. His overall batting line was .163/.219/.287.
Despite those rough results, the Phils needed an extra catcher earlier this month. J.T. Realmuto had fouled a ball of his knee and needed to take a few days off, leaving Garrett Stubbs as the club’s primary catcher, at least temporarily. Rafael Marchán is also on the club’s 40-man but was dealing with a shoulder impingement recently, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic on X. Garcia was selected to the roster to back up Stubbs and got into three games, going hitless in seven plate appearances, striking out three times. As Realmuto got past his knee injury, Garcia became expendable and was nudged off the roster.
Garcia has never hit much in his career. In addition to his stint with the Phils this year, he has also suited up for the Giants, Athletics and Reds in previous seasons. He currently sports a batting line of .211/.248/.325 in 327 big league plate appearances. But his defense is fairly well regarded, making him a capable depth option despite the lackluster bat.
Players with at least three years of service time or a previous career outright have the right to reject outright assignments and elect free agency. Garcia qualifies on both counts and can return to the open market. However, at this stage of the calendar, he might decide to simply stay with the Phils. He wouldn’t be postseason eligible with any other club, while playing playoff games with the Phils could be possible if either Realmuto or Stubbs get hurt in the coming weeks.
If he isn’t selected in the coming weeks, he would be eligible for free agency in the offseason. That’s the case for all players with at least three years of service time who are outrighted off a 40-man roster during the campaign and not re-selected before the winter.