Phillies Designate Three Players For Assignment

The Phillies have designated catcher Payton Henry and relievers Lou Trivino and Nolan Hoffman for assignment, the team announced. That trio of DFAs clears the road for this morning’s acquisitions of Luis Arraez, Caleb Kilian and Brooks Raley.

Trivino is the most recognizable name of the group. He had a nice run with the A’s from 2018-21 but has struggled in recent seasons since returning from UCL surgery. The 34-year-old (35 in October) has pitched six innings between Philadelphia and Baltimore this season and been tagged with 10 runs. He posted a 3.97 ERA in 47 2/3 innings between three big league teams last year (Phillies included) but did so with a career-low 17.9% strikeout rate and career-worst velocity on his heater (94.8 mph average).

The 28-year-old Hoffman has only 5 2/3 MLB frames under his belt, all coming with the Phils. He’s allowed five runs in that tiny sample, which dates back to last season. Hoffman has pitched to a 4.71 ERA in 34 2/3 innings of Triple-A work this season, striking batters out at a strong clip but issuing too many walks. He sits 93-94 mph on a four-seamer that headlines a five-pitch mix. This is his second of three minor league option years.

Henry, 29, was briefly summoned to the majors this weekend but hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2022. He’s 7-for-43 in a small sample of 50 major league plate appearances. In 211 plate appearances between the Triple-A affiliates for the Yankees and Phillies this season, Henry is hitting .211/.289/.305.

The Phillies can technically trade any member of this trio prior to today’s 6pm ET deadline, but they’re all likelier bound for waivers, which will be a 48-hour process in and of itself.