A pair of minor league players made themselves noticed Sunday in the Phillies 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in Spring Training. Carson DeMartini and Kehden Hettiger are both in camp as non-roster invitees and worked their way into Sunday’s game.

DeMartini pinch-hit for Alec Bohm to leadoff the sixth inning and took a 3-2 pitch from left-hander Nick Dombkowski out to right field for his first home run of the spring. DeMartini, who bats left-handed, hit just .178 with two home runs in 90 at-bats against lefties last season, got around on a belt-high, 87 mile-per-hour cutter and lifted it to the concourse in right field. Dombkowski came in to pitch in the bottom of the fifth and after walking Johan Rojas, struck out Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber looking and then fanned Bryce Harper swinging before DeMartini pinch-hit to open the sixth.

Carson DeMartini delivers a pinch-hit home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a Spring Training game in Clearwater, FL on Sunday.

DeMartini played at Jersey Shore and Reading last season and hit 10 home runs with 52 RBI between the two stops while slashing .237/.340/.367/.717 in 119 games. DeMartini played at both third base and shortstop last season, but is not known for his defense. He made a total of 16 errors in 89 games at third base for a .918 fielding percentage. He also posted a .918 fielding percentage in 25 games at shortstop where he made seven errors. The Phillies drafted DeMartini, 23, out of Virginia Tech in the fourth round of the 2024 Draft.

The Phillies had slated DeMartini to play in the Arizona Fall League last fall, but he did not play because he had suffered an injury late in the season with Reading and the Phillies decided to err on the side of caution rather than risk aggravating the injury.

Hettiger pinch-hit for Kyle Schwarber, who homered in his first at-bat of the spring earlier in the game, to leadoff the seventh inning. Hettiger took the first pitch he saw from Michael Walsh and grounded it hard down the right field line for a two-out double. Hettiger, who turns 22 in May, also played at Jersey Shore and Reading last season and is also a left-handed hitter. Walsh is a right-hander.

Hettiger is a career .208 hitter in three minor league seasons in the Phillies organization and was drafted out of Sierra Canyon High School (California) in the 11th round of the 2023 Draft. The Phillies have given Hettiger some opportunities at first base in the past couple of seasons, but he has remained primarily a catcher in the minors.

Both DeMartini and Hettiger appear on Prospects: The Top 26 for ’26

Kehden Hettiger Scouting Report

Also in Sunday’s game:

  • Schwarber launched a massive 438-foot home run in his first at-bat sending it out of BayCare Ballpark to right field.
  • Alec Bohm, batting fourth, doubled and drove in a run with a third inning sacrifice fly.
  • Highly touted prospect Aroon Escobar got two at-bats and singled on a groundball behind the second base bag in the bottom of the eighth inning.
  • The Phillies went with a bullpen game and used 10 pitchers. Jonathan Hernandez didn’t get through the sixth inning and Jack Dallas came on to get the final two outs in the inning.
  • Trevor Richards, who is fighting for a bullpen job, started and struck out two of the three hitters he faced in the first inning.
  • Giussepe Velazquez gave up an eighth inning hit, but struck out the side.
  • The Phillies face the Washington Nationals in West Palm Beach for a night game Monday night. There is no television coverage slated for the game, but it is set to air on 94.1 WIP in Philadelphia.

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