Philadelphia Phillies Opponent Signs Shortstop During Important Series

The San Francisco Giants signed a shortstop and are bringing him to Philadelphia during the important series with playoff implications.

The series between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants has been circled for a while. It's a matchup between the two leading teams in the National League Wild Card standings.

It's a chance for the Phillies to put some distance between them and their closest competitor in the playoff race if they are able to perform well during the series.

They were able to get off to a good start Monday when they hammered the Giants in a 10-4 victory.

On Tuesday, USA TODAY Sports MLB columnist Bob Nightengale reported that San Francisco signed shortstop Paul DeJong who will be joining the team on Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Whether he plays in the series or not is to be determined, as the series finale starts Wednesday at 4:05 p.m. EST.

The Toronto Blue Jays traded for DeJong at the deadline this season before designating him for assignment August 19 following his massive struggles at the plate. In 13 games for the Blue Jays, he went 3-44 with 18 strikeouts.

The Giants are hoping that he can return to his career averages of .230/.301/.420 on their watch as they've struggled to find offensive production from their own middle infield positions.

Second baseman Thairo Estrada has swung a hot bat lately posting a .279/.323/.393 with a home run and eight RBI during his last 15 games. It's been their shortstop Casey Schmitt providing nothing on offense with a .083/.150/.111 in his last 15 games and .197/.249/.279 for his entire rookie season.

DeJong probably won't make his debut against the Phillies on Wednesday, but could a defensive option to put in the game if it's a tight contest in such an important series.