The Phillies acquired relief pitcher Joel Cesar from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The acquisition completed an earlier trade that sent left-hander Austin Davis to the Pirates on August 26.
Cesar has been added to the Phillies’ 60-man player pool and could conceivably work out for a few days at the Lehigh Valley auxiliary camp before that closes down later this week.
Cesar is a 24-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic. He has a power arm and has flashed a triple-digit fastball but is considered quite raw. He has never pitched above Double A.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Cesar pitched in the Single A Florida State League and the Double A Eastern League in 2019. He struck out 16, walked five and had five saves in 12⅓ innings in the FSL. At Double A, he went 3-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 28 games. He struck out 36 and walked 12 in 38⅓ innings.
Entering Sunday, Davis had made three appearances out of the Pirates bullpen and had not allowed a run in 2⅓ innings.