Phillies Sign Local Veteran After Losing Pitcher For The Season

The Philadelphia Phillies are adding another layer of depth as they navigate the final weeks of the regular season.

With the club continuing to wrestle with uncertainty throughout its pitching staff, Philadelphia has turned to a veteran with both major league experience and a strong connection to the region. And the move gave the team a veteran option shortly after it lost a significant pickup to a season-ending injury.

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On Friday, the Phillies signed right-hander Casey Lawrence to a minor league contract, according to the official transaction tracker.

Lawrence is particularly intriguing from a local perspective. The Pennsylvania native attended Albright College in Reading, putting his latest professional opportunity close to home as he heads to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Since his school days, though, Lawrence has pitched in stints for the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals.

“The 38-year-old Lawrence is a journeyman who has made 65 major league appearances across five seasons,” Anthony Franco reported for MLB Trade Rumors. “He debuted back in 2017 and most recently tossed 17 2/3 frames between the Mariners and Blue Jays last year.”

The timing of the acquisition also gives the Phillies an experienced arm to evaluate shortly after the loss of Kolby Allard to a season-ending injury.

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The move comes shortly after the Phillies lost another potential depth option for the remainder of the season.

Veteran left-hander Kolby Allard, who signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in a reunion earlier this year, was recently placed on the full-season injured list at Triple-A Lehigh Valley with a strained left adductor.

His absence likely drove Lawrence’s arrival and he will immediately fill a similar role in the minors.

“Lawrence is coming up on 1,000 career Triple-A innings over 11 years and spent the 2019 campaign in Japan,” Franco added. “He throws in the upper 80s with a five-pitch mix and can eat some innings for Lehigh Valley.”

Lawrence’s recent major league experience also gives Philadelphia a player who understands the demands of pitching at the highest level in case it seeks a swingman for the big-league relief corps. at some point down the stretch.

While he is not necessarily being brought in as an immediate solution for the major-league roster, his presence could become important if injuries or workload concerns force the Phillies to search deeper into their system without Allard to turn to.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com