The Phillies have signed right-hander Shaun Anderson to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been pitching for the KBO’s Kia Tigers this year but was released a couple of weeks ago.
Anderson, 28, has a bit of major league experience. He appeared in 63 games from 2019 to 2022, suiting up for the Giants, Twins, Orioles, Padres and Blue Jays. He registered a combined 5.84 earned run average in that time, along with a 17.1% strikeout rate, 9.9% walk rate and 41% ground ball rate. Though he broke in as a starter, he moved to more of a relief role over time.
The righty was outrighted by the Blue Jays last summer and qualified for free agency at season’s end. He then signed with the Kia Tigers and headed to Korea this year, posting solid results there as he returned to a starting role. He was able to make 14 starts, tossing 79 innings with a 3.76 ERA. His strikeout and walk numbers were fairly similar to his MLB work, but he was able to get grounders at a 61.7% clip.
Despite those solid results, Anderson was put on waivers when the Tigers signed Thomas Pannone. KBO teams are only allowed three roster spots for non-Korean players and the club decided to nudge Anderson out in favor of Pannone.
Anderson will now make his way back to North America, presumably to join Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the near future. The Phillies’ rotation consists of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sánchez, but their depth recently took a hit as prospect Andrew Painter has been recommended for Tommy John surgery. Anderson will give the club another non-roster option to potentially call upon should the need arise, though they could also move him back to a relief role.
If Anderson is able to make it onto Philly’s roster at any point, he has one option year remaining and just under two years of major league service time, meaning he could be cheaply retained for future seasons as well.
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