After attempting to fit young players like Otto Kemp, Felix Reyes, and Steward Berroa into a utility role at the major league level, the Phillies are now giving a veteran player a shot. Bryan De La Cruz, who has played just under 500 MLB games, will be given a chance to provide some right-handed pop off of the bench.
De La Cruz signed with the Phillies during the offseason on a minor league deal and thanks to an opt-out clause in his contract, had the contract converted to a major league deal with a spot on the 40-man roster. The move allows the Phillies to add a player without having to take one off of the 40-man roster. On the active roster, the Phillies placed catcher/utility man Garrett Stubbs on the 15-day IL. As a third catcher and utility player, Stubbs hasn’t had much opportunity to play. His last two appearances were with the Phillies as an emergency catcher.
The 29-year-old De La Cruz was batting just .223 at the end of May, but put together strong stats for both June and July to pull his season average with Lehigh Valley up to .269/.358/.448 with 12 home runs and 56 RBI. In July, De La Cruz hit .394/.459/.576 for the IronPigs.
After starting his major league career with the Marlins in 2021, De La Cruz was traded to Pittsburgh during the 2024 season and after becoming a free agent signed with Atlanta for the 2025 season. He played in just 16 games for Atlanta and hit .191 in ’25. He has a career line of 58-208-.251/.295/.402 in 491 MLB games.
Against left-handers, De La Cruz has hit .267/.311/.386 and has hit righties to a .245/.290/.408 clip in the majors.
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