The Philadelphia Phillies made several deals ahead of the MLB trade deadline , acquiring multiple players to add to the Major League roster.
Second baseman Luis Arraez and right-handed pitcher Caleb Kilian were added from the San Francisco Giants. From the New York Mets, the Phillies acquired left-handed relief pitcher Brooks Raley .
Of course, when players are added, it means someone has to be on the move. To accommodate the deadline additions, Philadelphia has announced several other roster changes as well.
The changes began on Aug. 3 when Nolan Hoffman was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster and traded to the Kansas City Royals for Manuel Colon. Another 40-man roster spot was opened when Seth Johnson was traded to the Athletics for outfielder Colby Thomas.
Aug 2, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Kyle Backhus (19) delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Now, the Phillies had to make changes to the 26-man active roster to fit Arraez, who will be wearing No. 4, Kilian, who will don No. 56, and Raley, who will be No. 30. As a result, two players were optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley: outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. and left-handed pitcher Kyle Backhus.
Rincones was given an opportunity at consistent playing time when Adolis Garcia suffered a season-ending lat injury that required surgery. Unfortunately, he looked overmatched at the plate and struggled mightily.
In 29 games and 89 plate appearances, he produced a -0.7 bWAR with a .167/.202/.286 slash line and OPS+ of 30. With Bryce Harper now in the mix to play right field to make room for Arraez in the infield, he can take the left-handed hitting role that Rincones was holding.
Last week, Bryan De La Cruz began to be inserted into the lineup against right-handed pitching, which was the writing on the wall that a move involving Rincones would be on the horizon.
Backhus has been shuttling back and forth between Triple-A Lehigh Valley and the Big Leagues all season, in between an injury list stint. He has made 21 appearances with Philadelphia, throwing 20 innings with a 4.95 ERA and 0.1 bWAR.
It would not be surprising if he is brought back up to the Big League roster at some point this season, especially with Johnson no longer around, operating as organizational depth for the bullpen.
Backhus could be the next up should an injury occur to the relief corps, but Raley is taking his spot as the other southpaw alongside Jose Alvarado for interim manager Don Mattingly.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/phillies/onsi as Phillies Option 2 Players To Make Room for Deadline Additions .
