Phillies designate righty Enyel De Los Santos for assignment

The Phillies announced that right-hander Enyel De Los Santos has been designated for assignment.  The move creates roster space for catcher Andrew Knapp’s activation off the COVID-related injury list, and catcher Rafael Marchan has also been optioned to Triple-A.

De Los Santos has been shuttled up and down between the Phillies’ roster and Triple-A Lehigh Valley multiple times this season, with the righty posting a 6.75 ERA and a strong 30.7% strikeout rate over 28 innings out of Philadelphia’s bullpen.  While his strikeout totals have increased by leaps and bounds this season at both the MLB and minor league levels, home runs have continued to plague De Los Santos in the big leagues.  Since the start of the 2019 season, De Los Santos has allowed 11 homers in only 39 innings pitched for the Phils.

This marks the second time in as many seasons that the Phillies have designated De Los Santos, and he was able to clear waivers last year before being outrighted off the 40-man roster.  De Los Santos is only 25 years old, so another team might be interested in taking a late-season flier to bring him into their organization, particularly with his improved strikeout numbers.  De Los Santos whiffed 66 of 184 batters faced in Triple-A and the majors this season, good for a very impressive 35.9% strikeout rate.