The Phillies did a little roster house keeping on Thursday. Major League Baseball requires players who finished the season on the 60-day IL to be placed back onto the active 40-man roster within five days after the end of the World Series. The Phillies had two such players in pitchers Zack Wheeler and Daniel Robert.

In an additional move, the Phillies outrighted infielder Rafael Lantigua to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Lantigua immediately refused the assignment and elected to become a free agent. The Phillies purchased Lantigua’s contract on September 16 only to option him back to Lehigh Valley three days later. On September 29, the team recalled him again, but he did not appear in any games with the Phillies during his time in the majors. Lantigua, 27, has yet to make his MLB debut. With the IronPigs last summer, Lantigua hit 7-56-.230/.356/.330/.686 in 125 games. Defensively, Lantigua played primarily at second base – 79 games – but also played 34 games at third base, six at shortstop and four in left field.

Wheeler went on the IL when he was diagnosed with a blood clot near his left shoulder and later diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome. Surgery repaired the condition, but Wheeler, who has been a workhorse throughout his career, made just 24 starts, his lowest number (not counting the COVID year of 2020) since he started just 17 games with the Mets in 2017. The 35-year-old was 10-5, 2.71 with the Phillies and was one of the top candidates to win a Cy Young Award when he was sidelined with the injury.

The Phillies acquired the 31-year-old Robert from the Texas Rangers for fellow righty Enrique Segura last April. The Phillies recalled Robert on four different occasions and he went on the IL with a blister on his right middle finger at the end of July. He was activated in August and again recalled before going back on the IL with a right forearm strain which sent him back to the IL on September 3rd and five days later he was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.

In 15 relief appearances with the Phillies, covering 13 innings, Robert posted a 4.15 ERA and struck out 15 batters, but walked 10.

After removing the nine players who initially filed for free agency following the World Series and making other roster moves, the Phillies 40-man roster now has 30 players.