Phillies Likely to Cut Ties With One of These Two Players

The Philadelphia Phillies have entered  the All-Star break with a record of 54-43, having gone 45-24 since their 9-19 start. Clearly, they have re-established themselves as a National League playoff contender, but serious problems still exist.

Perhaps most glaring of all is the Phillies' lack of outfield production outside of Brandon Marsh, who is now playing in his first All-Star Game.

Adolis Garcia posted a .599 OPS before being knocked out for the season due to a shoulder injury, and while rookie Justin Crawford has picked it up over the last month, he still owns a .666 OPS on the year while playing shaky center field defense.

Philadelphia has been rolling with a platoon of Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Derek Hill in right field to replace Garcia. Rincones is slashing .179/.211/.313. Hill has played well in a limited role, but he is a lifetime .234/.283/.364 hitter since entering the big leagues back in 2020.

The Phillies will almost certainly be targeting another outfielder between now and the MLB trade deadline, and Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic believes that one of Rincones or Hill will be off the big-league roster at some point in the near future.

"Still, it will likely be another trade deadline seeking outfield reinforcements," Varnes wrote. "Derek Hill has been a strong platoon addition, and Gabriel Rincones Jr. has looked a little better after a rough start. Will they both be on the roster a few weeks from now, though? It seems unlikely."

You have to think that Rincones will be the odd man out based on how much he has struggled. Meanwhile, Hill boasts an .890 OPS in 23 games with Philadelphia this season. Yes, it's over a small sample size of 55 plate appearances, but at least he is showing something, and he has experience.

Last year, the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader at the deadline, and Bader ended up playing a significant role in Philadelphia's second half. Will Philadelphia be able to land as impactful of an addition this time around?

It remains to be seen.

There aren't a whole lot of ballclubs willing to sell at the moment, and the Phils don't exactly have a treasure trove of assets down in their farm system.

You do have to figure that the Phillies will land someone before Aug. 3, and when they do, one of Rincones or Hill will be dumped.

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