Phillies Claim Intriguing Young Reliever Off Waivers, Assign Him to Minors

The Philadelphia Phillies have made a couple of Sunday afternoon roster moves in an attempt to improve their pitching depth.

According to an announcement from the team, they have claimed right-handed reliever Ryan Cusick off waivers from the Chicago White Sox and optioned him to the Florida Complex League. In a corresponding move, the Phillies designated right-handed starter Kyle Tyler for assignment.

If Cusick gets to the Major Leagues with Philadelphia, it will be his big league debut after he has bounced around several organizations this year.

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He did not make an appearance for the White Sox, being DFA just two days after being claimed. Cusick did appear in Triple-A for both the Athletics and Detroit Tigers this year, pitching to a 6.32 ERA and 1.851 over 14 appearances.

Over a five-year minor league career, Cusick has an ERA of 5.20 with 248 strikeouts in 238.2 innings.

Tyler on the other hand has made 12 starts for Lehigh Valley and has an ERA this year of 4.31 and 1.404 WHIP with a 5-3 record.

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He has made 15 career big league appearances including seven starts with the Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, and Miami Marlins with a 4.31 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in that period.

Whether or not Cusick actually factors in this season remains to be seen, but unquestionably the bullpen has much less depth than the starting rotation and a true reliever was more of a need.

Tyler's big league experience makes him likely to be traded somewhere else or claimed, at which point Phillies fans will be paying close attention to see if they made a mistake letting him go.

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