Phillies announce roster moves
Prior to today’s game against the Miami Marlins, the Phillies announced the following roster moves:
Right-handed pitcher Jose Cuas was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays and optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley
Right-handed pitcher Nick Nelson was designated for assignment
Selected the contract of catcher Aramis Garcia from Lehigh Valley
Infielder Rodolfo Castro was recalled from Lehigh Valley and placed on the 60-day injured list with a right thumb UCL repair
Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcements.
Cuas, 30, appeared in 13 games between the Chicago Cubs and Blue Jays this season. He began his major league career with the Kansas City Royals from 2022-23 and across 132 career appearances (2 starts), Cuas has gone 7-4 with two saves, a 4.37 ERA (58 ER, 119.1 IP) and 122 strikeouts to 69 walks.
This season, Cuas has made 26 appearances at triple-A between Iowa and Buffalo. The Santo Domingo, D.R., native was originally selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round of the 2015 MLB Draft and has made 115 minor league relief appearances (156.1 IP) since 2018.
The 28-year-old Nelson struck out eight batters over 5.1 innings pitched in four relief appearances for the Phillies across his two stints in the majors. Originally selected by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, Nelson was acquired by the Phillies in a trade with the Yankees on Nov. 19, 2021.
Garcia, 31, has caught 66 games (65 starts) for the IronPigs this season. He has thrown out 31 baserunners attempting to steal, a mark that leads the International League and ranks second to only Brandon Valenzuela (El Paso) in all of triple-A baseball. Garcia has played 116 major league games between the San Francisco Giants (2018-19), Oakland Athletics (2021) and Cincinnati Reds (2022).
Garcia will wear No. 41. Originally selected by the Giants in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft, Garcia has attended major league spring training with the Phillies in each of the last two seasons after signing as a free agent on Feb. 14, 2023.
Due to injuries, Castro, 25, has appeared in a total of 23 games this season between Lehigh Valley (19), single-A Clearwater (2), single-A Jersey Shore (1) and the rookie-level Florida Complex League Phillies (1). In those 23 games, the Dominican native batted .221 (17-77) with one double, three home runs, 19 RBI and scored 12 runs.
Acquired by the Phillies via trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 1, 2023, Castro was originally signed by the Pirates as an amateur free agent on Oct. 30, 2015.