Phillies Select David Dahl – MLB Trade Rumors

The Phillies announced a series of roster changes today, placing outfielder Brandon Marais and infielder Kody Clemens on the 10-day injured list. Marsh has a right hamstring strain and Clemens has lower back spasms. The latter’s decision is retroactive to May 31. In the corresponding measures, they selected the contract of the outfielder David Dahl and recalled infielder/flyer Weston Wilson. To bring Dahl to the 40 players, right-handed Michael Rucker was moved to the 60-day injured list.

Marsh was ruled out of last night’s game due to his hamstring problem, and manager Rob Thomson said after the match that the 26-year-old was considered a day-to-day player. It appears the club has decided to let Marsh relax for at least ten days to get over the problem, although it might not be a long stay on the IL if it was a borderline case. The club also boasts the best record in the National League at 41-19, perhaps giving them the luxury of being cautious. Clemens was initially in last night’s lineup before being scratched due to spasms. It’s unclear how serious his problem is, but he will be out for more than a week alongside Marsh.

Subtracting two position players from Philadelphia’s roster will create an opening for Dahl. The 30-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in the offseason and has been playing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, completely crushing it so far. He has 12 homers in 166 plate appearances and has walked 11.4% of the time. His .340/.416/.660 slash line leads to a ridiculous 171 wRC+.

It’s been a while since that was the case, but Dahl, the Rockies’ No. 10 overall pick in 2012, was once touted as one of the sport’s top prospects. He hit the ground running in the majors, posting a .315/.359/.500 slash line in 63 games as a rookie and hitting .297/.346/.521 in his first 921 plate appearances in MLB from 2016 to 2019. Injuries, however, ravaged Dahl’s career and for several years made him a shell of the once dynamic talent he once represented.

Dahl suffered a lacerated spleen in a violent on-field collision and ended up having to remove the organ entirely. He also suffered a stress fracture to his ribcage, a broken foot, a high ankle sprain, a sprained shoulder, multiple back injuries and a sprained back. quad during his big league career. This is an eye-opening injury story, highlighted by this splenectomy procedure – a procedure that obviously took its toll on Dahl’s body. From 2020 to 2023, he only appeared in 91 league games and hit just .199/.235/.303 during that time. Even his Triple-A production has often been lackluster along the way, but Dahl’s stellar production at Lehigh Valley this season marks his best minor league streak since the one that led to his initial call-up to the MLB in 2016.

That Dahl can find a second act in his career after so many physical problems, the simple fact that he has returned to the majors again after so many setbacks is a testament to his perseverance and passion for the game. For now, he’ll give the Phils a short-term option to cover Marsh’s absence, but the Triple-A surge is also genuinely intriguing. If Dahl proves he’s a big-time bat again, he would be controllable via arbitration through the 2025 season, making him a potential multi-year outfield/bench player for the Phils in an ideal scenario .