Outfielder Dalton Guthrie was designated for assignment Monday by the Phillies, who needed to clear a 40-man roster spot to reinstate Darick Hall from the 60-day injured list.
Hall was recalled from his rehab assignment and optioned to Triple A Lehigh Valley. He is not on the Phillies' active roster but the team still needed to make a move to add him back to the 40-man roster.
Hall had been out since the first week of the regular season with a right thumb sprain suffered sliding into second base at Yankee Stadium. He had a productive spring training, and after Rhys Hoskins tore his ACL, Hall opened the season as the Phillies' first baseman against right-handed pitching. It's a job that has since been claimed by Kody Clemens, who has played well offensively and defensively. Clemens does not start every game against a righty but the Phillies also use Alec Bohm at first base with Edmundo Sosa at third.
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Club officials have said Hall will need to hit his way back to the majors. He's gone 13-for-51 (.255) with three doubles, a triple, two homers and 10 RBI in 59 plate appearances with Lehigh Valley since having his rehab assignment transferred there at the beginning of June.
Guthrie was the odd man out. The Phillies have seven outfielders on their 40-man roster in Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, Cristian Pache, Jake Cave and prospects Johan Rojas and Simon Muzziotti. Pache returned from a meniscus tear over the weekend and played a key role in the Phillies' three-game sweep in Oakland. Guthrie had been the right-handed-hitting backup outfielder while Pache was out.
The Phillies could have DFA'd infielder Drew Ellis but chose to keep his bat in the organization. Ellis had a two-homer game at Nationals Park two Sundays ago and has hit .247/.365/.577 with nine homers and 30 RBI in 26 minor-league games this season.
The Phillies will hope to pass the 27-year-old Guthrie through waivers and keep him in the system. There is a seven-day period in which he can be traded or placed on outright waivers.