Felix Reyes has been called up by the Phillies. (Cheryl Pursell)
PHILADELPHIA — After a third consecutive humiliating defeat Friday, the Phillies made a series of roster moves before Saturday evening's tilt with the Atlanta Braves:
Here's a cheat sheet for the flurry of roster moves the Phillies made this afternoon.
(via @GraceDelPizzo) pic.twitter.com/r8GV1rUJGP
— OnPattison (@OnPattison) April 18, 2026
Here's everything you need to know about these moves.
Even though they were getting blown out by the Chicago Cubs, the Phillies had hoped for Duran to pitch Wednesday evening because it would have been his fourth day off in a row. But that was nixed when Duran reported to director of medical services and head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit that he was "feeling a little something in his side."
After getting it worked out after the game and feeling fine on Thursday and Friday, the Phillies had Duran get up on the mound Saturday and he "felt it, just a little bit." Duran had imaging done, and Thomson called the left oblique injury "very, very mild." The Phillies are hopeful that their star closer won't miss much time.
In Duran's absence, Thomson said he expects "the bulk of the [save] opportunities" to go to Brad Keller. They'll go with a matchup-based approach in the eighth inning.
Rob Thomson says Jhoan Duran’s left oblique injury is “very, very mild.” Phillies are hopeful he won’t miss much time.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/2CgtD13nLA
— OnPattison (@OnPattison) April 18, 2026
In an effort to spark their offense, the Phillies have promoted Reyes, who was hitting .333 with six home runs and 15 RBIs at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 25-year-old will be thrown into the fire immediately, as he is starting in left field against former NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale Saturday night in his MLB Debut.
Obviously, the Phillies will take any offensive production right now, particularly from a right-handed hitter.
This is what Rob Thomson had to say about Felix Reyes’ left field defense Friday. A day later, he’s making his MLB Debut in left field.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/w9p2u15ZKg
Still, Thomson expressed some skepticism about Reyes as an outfielder Friday, so it was mildly surprising to see him in the outfield a day later.
Reyes was told late Friday night by Lehigh Valley manager Anthony Contreras that he was being called up. He said his mother was his first call, and then he proceeded to inform some other family members. This morning, he flew from the Minneapolis Airport — Lehigh Valley had been playing in St. Paul, MN — landing in Philadelphia between 1 and 1:30.
For his part, Reyes says he's confident in his ability to play left field for the Phillies.
"I feel it's good right now," Reyes said of his left field defense, via interpreter Diego D'Aniello. "I played a lot of left field in Triple-A and I feel comfortable there right now."
Felix Reyes is confident in his left field defense.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/6xN44RK5bY
Thomson said "reads and routes" are what Reyes needs to refine in the outfield, but all reports from the minors are that "he's gonna catch what he gets to."
Ultimately, the Phillies are going to put up with some growing pains in the outfield if Reyes is able to give them a much-needed offensive spark.
"He can hit," Thomson said with a smile. "He's a big man, but it will surprise you how athletic he is. He's a lot better runner than people give him credit for. He's very intelligent. He's a really good baserunner. He's played seven or eight games in the outfield, he's got a 1.000 OPS — he's really performed. So maybe this gives us a little bit of a shot of energy."
Kemp was optioned to Lehigh Valley Saturday, where the Phillies believe he'll benefit from getting consistent at-bats after he struck out nine times in 22 plate appearances, serving as the weak-side platoon partner for Brandon Marsh.
"It gives Otto a chance to go down, get some consistent at-bats, get his rhythm and timing and his confidence back," Thomson said. "Because I really like ... we really like Otto. He's a really good player, plays all over the place and can really hit. He just hasn't performed yet because of the lack of consistent at-bats."
As we wrote Friday, Kemp was in a tough situation because while he hadn't played much, he had really struggled both offensively and defensively in limited action in 2026. None of Trea Turner, Adolis García, Alec Bohm or J.T. Realmuto are eligible to be sent to the minor leagues, and with the exception of Bohm, you wouldn't consider it with any of them even if they were. Dylan Moore would have had to be designated for assignment. Kemp had two minor-league options remaining, so in some senses, he's a victim of circumstance.
"Well, it's not his fault that we didn't hit," Thomson said. "It's tough for him ... I've said it many times ... it's tough for a guy that doesn't get consistent at-bats and he's a young guy and he's used to playing every day and now you're playing sparingly, it's tough sometimes to keep your rhythm and your contact point."
Kemp forced his way onto the postseason roster last year after he hit four home runs and drove in 11 runs in September. The Phillies spent much of the offseason talking about his toughness, as it was revealed after the season that Kemp had played through injuries to both his left knee and shoulder that required offseason surgery. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski went as far as calling Kemp a "championship-type player" during the December Winter Meetings.
Did the expectations for Kemp just reach a point where he wasn't going to be able to succeed?
"I don't think so, not with Otto," Thomson said. "He's really level-headed. He's calm. He knows who he is."
It may be true that expectations didn't overwhelm Kemp, but they changed what the public anticipated from him. And when Kemp didn't get off to a quick start, it made it feel late early for the 26-year-old. Less than a month into the season, he'll now get a reset at Triple-A.
Rob Thomson on what he likes about Felix Reyes + thoughts on Otto Kemp
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/UDCb5bMasc
