The Phillies made two separate sets of roster moves Saturday, one aimed at strengthening their organizational outfield depth and another designed simply to find enough innings against the New York Yankees.
Philadelphia acquired outfielder Kameron Misner from the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations and immediately optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Outfielder Steward Berroa was designated for assignment to clear Misner’s place on the 40-man roster.
Misner's addition was a longer-range depth move for an organization seeking another experienced outfielder capable of playing all three positions.
The Phillies’ pitching transactions, meanwhile, were directly connected to Saturday’s planned bullpen game.
Left-hander Tim Mayza was scheduled to open against the Yankees, leaving the Phillies to piece together the remaining innings with a bullpen that has already been tested by injuries and recent workload concerns. To provide additional coverage, the club selected the contract of right-hander Brian Keller from Lehigh Valley and recalled left-hander Kyle Backhus.
Alex McFarlane and Max Lazar were optioned to Triple-A following their recent appearances, while Tanner Banks was transferred to the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster opening for Keller.
Keller represents the most likely source of length behind Mayza.
The 32-year-old made 10 starts between the rookie-level Florida Complex League Phillies and Lehigh Valley this season, combining for a 2.06 ERA over 39⅓ innings. He struck out 41, walked 12 and limited opposing hitters to a .188 batting average.
His strongest work came recently with the IronPigs. Keller posted a 0.82 ERA and a 0.59 WHIP over his last four starts, allowing two earned runs across 22 innings since June 24.
Originally selected by the Yankees in the 39th round of the 2016 draft, Keller has spent seven minor league seasons in the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies organizations. He owns a 34-28 record and 3.11 ERA in 139 career minor league appearances, including 101 starts.
His first appearance for the Phillies will also be his major league debut, potentially coming against the organization that drafted him a decade ago.
Backhus gives the Phillies another available left-hander behind Mayza. The 28-year-old has a 5.87 ERA in 17 major league appearances this season, but he performed more effectively with Lehigh Valley. Including rehabilitation assignments, Backhus recorded a 2.25 ERA with 18 strikeouts and only two walks across 12 innings for the IronPigs.
The roster shuffle sent McFarlane back to Triple-A after his major league debut Wednesday against the Dodgers. The 25-year-old worked a scoreless ninth inning in his only appearance. Lazar was optioned after posting a 5.63 ERA across eight innings over two stints with Philadelphia.
Banks’ transfer to the 60-day injured list formalized a longer absence for the 34-year-old left-hander, who has been sidelined since July 9 with a left forearm strain. He appeared in 28 games for the Phillies before the injury.
While those moves were made to navigate Saturday night, Misner’s acquisition was focused beyond one game.
The 28-year-old appeared in 18 games for Kansas City this season and made 11 starts spread across all three outfield positions. He was much more productive at Triple-A Omaha, batting .286 with a .378 on-base percentage and .563 slugging percentage over 270 plate appearances.
A former first-round selection taken No. 35 overall in the 2019 draft out of Missouri, Misner gives the Phillies another left-handed-hitting outfielder with power, athleticism and major league experience at Lehigh Valley.
Berroa appeared in six games for Philadelphia after being acquired from Milwaukee for cash considerations in April. He played all three outfield positions but lost his 40-man spot when the Phillies chose to bring Misner into the organization.
Misner is a depth option for another day.
Saturday’s challenge is more immediate: Mayza will record the first outs, and Keller, Backhus and the rest of the bullpen must find a way to handle the rest.
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