Another concussion for Tommy Joseph; Cody Asche in LF at AAA

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The Phillies' star-crossed catching prospect Tommy Joseph has suffered yet another setback at Triple A Lehigh Valley.

Joseph, 23, was placed on the disabled list for a concussion on Tuesday after taking a foul ball off the catching mask in Monday’s game. It marks the third time in the past three years the catcher has been placed on the DL for a concussion or concussion symptoms.

However, Joseph says he hasn't yet been diagnosed with a concussion, according to reports. The trip to the DL is precautionary, says Joseph, because of his history with concussions.

In 2013, Joseph suffered a concussion in early May while playing for Lehigh Valley, missed a month of action and then played sporadically until July, when he had a recurrence of post-concussion symptoms. When Joseph couldn’t shake the symptoms, the Phillies shut him down for the season.

Early last year, Joseph again suffered concussion symptoms after taking a foul ball off his catching helmet. After visits with concussion specialists, Joseph was cleared to return to action in a week, but he suffered a wrist injury in early May that required season-ending surgery.

Joseph ended up playing in just 27 games last season after playing 36 games in 2013. Since 2013, Joseph has appeared in just 22 percent of his team’s games and he has been passed over by Cameron Rupp on the catching development chart.

In 20 games this season in a return to Triple A, Joseph struggled at the plate, batting just .123 with zero homers, four doubles and 20 strikeouts.

Joseph hasn’t played more than 36 games in a season since 2012, which wouldn’t be an issue if not for his pedigree. He was selected in the second round of the draft by the Giants in 2009. He made his pro debut in 2010 and was a full-time catcher in Double A in 2012 at age 20.

Midway through the 2012 season, Joseph was traded by the Giants with outfielder Nate Schierholtz and reliever Seth Rosin to the Phillies for Hunter Pence.

Pence has twice won the World Series with the Giants. Schierholtz played with the Cubs and Nats before signing to play in Japan for 2015. Rosin was not protected in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft and was selected by the Mets. The Mets traded him to the Dodgers before he was waived and picked up by the Rangers.

Last April, the Rangers returned Rosin to the Phillies' organization, where he spent the season with Reading and Lehigh Valley.

Asche to start in left field
Joseph’s trip to the disabled list clears a path for new leftfielder Cody Asche, who will start for Lehigh Valley on Tuesday night.

Asche started at third base for the Phillies on Monday night and went 2 for 4.

It’s not yet known how long Asche’s conversion to left field will take, though he is required to spend at least 10 days in the minors barring an injury to the major-league team. Asche worked out in left field before the season began, but only recently resumed shagging flies in the outfield before games.

“I think that he has the ability to play a solid left field," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said after Monday’s game when announcing Asche had been sent back to minors. “The early things that he's done and his foot-speed and his knowledge of the game and his instincts, that I've seen in just basic practice and drills, he looked very good. He also has a good arm. I think he'll take to it very good.”

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