During spring training, the Phillies put in a waiver claim on right-hander Carlos Hernandez when the Kansas City Royals made him available. Now, the Phillies may be cutting ties with Hernandez after they designated him for assignment. The corresponding move to fill the roster spot was to recall Michael Mercado, who was already on the 40-man roster, from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Ironically, the move with Hernandez comes after he had put together a string three outings without allowing an earned run, covering 3 2/3 innings. During the stretch, Hernandez did not walk a batter and allowed three hits for a 0.82 WHIP. On the season, Hernandez posted a 5.26 ERA in 25 outings that covered 25 2/3 innings with 23 strikeouts.

The Phillies must now either trade Hernandez or place him on waivers.

The Royals had worked with Hernandez to get him back to the form he showed in 2023 when he had a 3.57 ERA and a 30-percent strikeout rate through the month of July. Over the final two months of the season Hernandez lost his control and walked more hitters than he struck out and had a 10.59 ERA. After working through shoulder issues following the 2023 season, Hernandez saw his velocity drop and he has not returned consistently to the 99 mph levels that he was at prior to the injury. The Phillies thought they may be able to get him back to form, but abandoned the idea with their latest move.

Michael Mercado

Mercado’s numbers with Lehigh Valley this season were less than stellar as he posted a 5.31 ERA in 17 relief appearances. The 26-year-old made his major league debut with the Phillies last June and pitched to an 11.08 ERA in three relief appearances and two starts after being a starter throughout his minor league career. This season the Phillies worked to convert him to a full-time reliever. While his overall numbers were weak this season, Mercado allowed just one earned run in his last 10 innings of work for Lehigh Valley.