Phillies Officially Call Up Top Pitching Prospect, Put Another Infielder on IL

The Philadelphia Phillies will see what their star pitching prospect can do, but they also will be without another infielder after placing him on the injured list.

Sep 6, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Edmundo Sosa (33) celebrates after scoring during the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Things have turned around for the Philadelphia Phillies in their recent stretch of games, winning six in a row before losing to the Miami Marlins on Saturday.

This was exactly what the team needed after prolonged struggles following the All-Star break put their NL East lead in jeopardy at one point and allowed other teams in the National League to chase them down for the best record.

However, amid all the positive vibes that has come during this turnaround, the Phillies are extremely banged up.

Just recently, they moved Austin Hays and Alec Bohm to the injured list, and after J.T. Realmuto fouled a ball off his knee, he's expected to be out of the lineup for the next few days.

Now, Philadelphia has announced in a press release they are also putting Edmundo Sosa on the 10-day injured because of back spasms. This is retroactive to Sept. 7, so he won't be available to return until Sept. 17.

In a corresponding move, they are officially calling up top pitching prospect Seth Johnson.

This was reported a few days ago that the promotion was coming, as the Phillies search for an answer regarding the fifth spot in their rotation.

Acquired in the deal that sent Gregory Soto to the Baltimore Orioles ahead of the deadline this year, Johnson has continued to look really good since coming back from Tommy John surgery, including a 0.56 ERA across his three starts with Philadelphia's Triple-A affiliate.

The hope is the right-hander pitches well enough that he can be slotted into this starting group for the remainder of the season, eating up innings and giving the team a chance to win every fifth day as they try to secure the top record in the National League.