If the National League East doesn’t wake up, the Atlanta Braves will be spraying champagne by the All-Star Break. The Braves are the only team in the division with a winning record and their four-game winning streak has put them five games up over second place Miami and Washington. The Marlins have lost four straight while Washington has lost their last two. The Phillies are 5.5 behind after losing four straight, including the first two games of their weekend series against Atlanta. Then, there’s the Mets. Losers of 10 straight, the boys from Flushing are doing just that with their season. They are nine games behind Atlanta. They’re so bad, they’re 3.5 behind the Phillies.
Early on in Saturday’s game, it looked like the Phillies bringing 25-year-old Felix Reyes to the majors gave the team a little spark of electricity. Brandon Marsh robbed Ronald Acuna, Jr. of a first inning home run with a leap and reach well over the center field fence.
Then, in the bottom of the second, Felix Reyes made his presence known when he took a 2-0 pitch from former Cy Young winner Chris Sale out to right field to become one of just seven Phillies to homer in their first MLB at-bat.
Reyes had arrived at Citizens Bank Park just hours earlier, travelling from Minnesota where he had played Friday night for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs against the St. Paul Saints. In that final game at Triple-A, Reyes hit two home runs to give him six on the season with Lehigh Valley. He was hitting .333 when the Phillies purchased his contract and added him to both the 40 and 26-man rosters.
The Falling Dominoes
To clear a spot on the 26-man roster, the Phillies optioned Otto Kemp, who was hitting just .100 (2-20) as the right-handed portion of a left field platoon with Brandon Marsh, to Triple-A. He will join the team at home for the start of their series against Durham on Tuesday. The 40-man roster spot opened when the Phillies released outfielder Pedro Leon. The move was slightly surprising because Leon was playing well – 0-4-.283/.358/.326/.684 – in 18 games with Lehigh Valley.
Reyes may find himself in the same position as Kemp. He will be the right-handed portion of the left field platoon with Marsh and likely only play against left-handers. On Saturday, manager Rob Thomson moved Brandon Marsh to center field to play Reyes in left. With lefty Chris Sale on the mound, Thomson thought it would be a rough matchup for Crawford, so he gave him the night off.
There are other options to find more playing time for Reyes. Either Marsh or Reyes could play in right field on some occasions to rest Adolis Garcia. Reyes could also get some time at first with Harper getting a day off. Harper or Reyes could also DH to give Schwarber an off day. Reyes has played at third, but his defense there is very suspect and he’s not likely to find himself there unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Please scroll down to comment on this story or to give it a rating. We appreciate your feedback!
Disclaimer: Some of the products featured or linked on this website may generate income for Philly Baseball News through affiliate commissions, sponsorships, or direct sales. We only promote items we believe in, but please assume that PBN may earn a cut from qualifying purchases that you make using a link on this site.
© 2026 LV Sports Media. All rights reserved.
