Philadelphia – Bryson Stott has been the future short man for the Phillies since the team selected him in the first round of the 2019 draft.
The future began on Thursday when team veteran Didi Gregorios launched, opening a short-term position for Stott.
Gregorios was released when the team needed a place on the roster to bring second team captain Jean Segura back from the injured list. Stott has been playing second base since Segura fell with a broken right index finger on May 31. With Segura back in his usual extension campaign position, Stott is moving on to Shortstop. They were both in the starting lineup Thursday night against Washington.
Director Rob Thompson said the decision to release Gregory was “extremely difficult”. The two have a long history, dating back to Gregory’s time as the short New York Yankees and Thompson’s time as a member of that club’s coaching staff.
“We’ve had a lot of really good times, a lot of matches, ups and downs,” Thompson said. “I have a lot of respect for him. He has been a really good player for a long time.”
Gregory’s release came to a performance. The 32-year-old was hitting just .210 with one Homer, 19 RBIs and .567 OPS at 214 at-bat during 63 games. Since July 1, it’s only hitting 0.17 (9 vs 77) by .148 on a percentage basis.
The Velez family ate about $5.5 million in letting Gregory go. It’s all part of the cost of trying to get into the post-season for the first time in a decade. The Phils team has already exceeded the competitive balance tax threshold of $230 million. They took over $7 million to add Thursday night newbie Noah Syndergaard to the trade. It is liquidation or bankruptcy.
“Stott is going to be the short stop,” Thompson said. “With[backups Edmundo Sosa and Jairo Munoz]we have a lot of variety in there. So, Didi was really kind of a weird guy. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad player. He played very well in the shortstop for us. He just didn’t hit the way he did.” It usually hits it out. That doesn’t mean it won’t hit in the future, but now it doesn’t hit and so we felt like we had a better cut.
“It’s a tough decision, but I think it’s the right one.
“We’re in this thing and we’re really into it. We’re serious about it. Hey, the game is about production. You have to produce. If you don’t, we have to make some decisions.”
Stott played well at second base and could still land there on the road – especially if Phillies played free agent Tria Turner in the off-season. But for the remainder of this shepherd race, at least, 24-year-old Las Vegan is the shortest.
Stott helped make Gregory consumable. Although he only made 0.196 on the season, Stott’s at-bats improved as he gained more experience in the rookie season. In 181 games on the board in June and July, he hit just 19 times and walked 17 times. He has 0.755 OPS in the last 18 games. Gregory had 0.378 OPS in his last 32.
“The (Stout) rackets over the past six weeks have been fantastic – not just against right-handers but against left-handers as well,” said Thompson. “Clutch positions, he made it to the base. He had great bats. He sees the ball really well. He has really proven that he is a top player in the league.”
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