Philadelphia Phillies Make Roster Move Following Their Earlier Trade

After making their first trade ahead of the deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies made another roster move.

Apr 18, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; Chicago Cubs closing pitcher Michael Rucker (59) throws against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning at RingCentral Coliseum / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Well, it was thought the Philadelphia Phillies would be one of the busier teams ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, and they turned that into a reality earlier on Friday.

The Phillies acquired Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Cristian Pache and Seranthony Dominguez.

Not quite the blockbuster that many fans were expecting from the ultra-aggressive Dave Dombrowski, but they still were able to get a past All-Star into the mix who provides solid hitting against left-handed pitchers, something they were looking to get done.

They accomplished that by sending out a two of their struggling players in Pache and Dominguez.

But without the flamethrowing right-hander in their bullpen, Philadelphia had to make a roster move to backfill his departure ahead of Friday's contest against the AL-best Cleveland Guardians.

According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, they have activated Michael Rucker.

The Phillies acquired the right-hander this past offseason in a deal with the Chicago Cubs where they sent out cash considerations. He began the year on the injured list because of an arterial vasospasm in his right hand that was causing a contraction of his blood vessels.

He was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 3 but was sent on a rehab assignment four days later.

Rucker has pitched at the Major League level the past three seasons with the Cubs, posting an ERA of 4.96 across 96 outings. His career 86 ERA+ leaves something to be desired, but he only gave up five earned runs during his 12 rehab games, striking out 21 batters in 14 innings.

The 30-year-old has a chance to join this bullpen and be a long-relief option for Philadelphia down the stretch, but there is a high likelihood that Dombrowski and his front office aren't done looking for additional relievers they can bring in.

The first domino in their trade deadline moves has fallen.

Expect there more to be on the way in the coming days.