A lot of moving parts in South Philly on Saturday. The Phillies have selected the contract of outfielder/first baseman Felix Reyes from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Unfortunately, closer Jhoan Duran went on the 15-day IL with a strained left oblique.

Reyes is the reigning Eastern League MVP for his time with Double-A Reading in 2025. The 6’3″, 195-pounder had a breakout season last year at Reading when he hit 15-65-.335/.365/.572/.937 with the Fightins. He had a one-week audition at Triple-A at the end of last season and played well and his success carried over into the 2026 season with the IronPigs. In 18 games this season, the right-handed hitter produced six home runs, 15 RBI, and 12 runs scored with a slash line of .333/.345/.654/.999 for Lehigh Valley.

The Phillies have put Reyes right into the lineup against left-hander Chris Sale. The 25-year-old will bat seventh and play left field. Brandon Marsh will play center in place of lefty hitting Justin Crawford; Marsh will bat ninth.

The Phillies have been looking for a right-handed power bat to add some balance to the lineup. Both Alec Bohm and Adolis Garcia have failed to provide a big bat behind Bryce Harper in the lineup. If all goes well, Reyes could eventually be that guy.

In the minors, Reyes has played first, third, left and right field. He has played primarily at first base (134 games, .988 fielding percentage), but has also played 73 games at third base (.927 fielding percentage), 62 games in right field (.962 fielding percentage) and 44 games in left field with a .969 fielding percentage.

Ironically, Phillies manager Rob Thomson was asked about Reyes just yesterday and said “he needs more reps in left field.”

Kemp had only played nine games in left field in the minors and 20 at the major league level before being optioned out on Saturday.

Otto Kemp Exits

Having added Reyes to both the 40 and 26-man rosters, a pair of corresponding moves were made. Otto Kemp, who has been getting some on-the-job training in left field with the Phillies, will head for Lehigh Valley where he can play left field and potentially a couple of other positions. He can also get steady at-bats, which he has not been able to get as a platoon player in Philadelphia. Kemp had just 20 at-bats and was hitting .100 (2-20) with the Phillies.

To open a spot on the 40-man roster, the Phillies have released Lehigh Valley outfielder Pedro Leon. The 27-year-old was actually playing well for Lehigh Valley with a .283/.358/.326/.684 slash line.

Duran to the IL

Jhoan Duran, who last pitched last Saturday, was placed on the 15-day IL with the Phillies. Acquired last season from Minnesota, Duran immediately took over the closer’s role with the Phillies but has not been called on much in the early going because of the Phillies inability to put themselves into situations where they need a reliever.

Duran was 5-5 in save opportunities this season with a 1.35 ERA in seven games. Combined with last season, Duran has saved 37 of 42 opportunities with Philadelphia and has a 1.98 ERA.

Seth Johnson, who was recalled from Lehigh Valley last Monday only to be optioned back out the next day, allowed three earned runs in 1.2 innings with the Phillies Monday night against the Chicago Cubs. In his career, he has pitched 16.2 innings with the Phillies and has a 1-2, 9.72 mark. At Lehigh Valley this season, Johnson was used in seven games and converted both save opportunities that he was given while posting a 2.57 ERA.