NEW YORK -- The Phillies showed Monday that they need another hitter or two on the 25-man roster if they want to give themselves the best possible chance to make the postseason.
They took a small step on Tuesday, when they selected the contract of Triple-A Lehigh Valley infielder Trevor Plouffe. He is an eight-year MLB veteran with a .714 career OPS. The Phillies hope Plouffe provides some stability to their bench, which is struggling in pinch-hitting situations.
Plouffe hit a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Mets.
"Trevor has been swinging the bat really well in Triple-A," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "He has a track record of success at the Major League level. We felt confident that he could come up and give us a good at-bat off the bench, which we saw tonight. It's not an indictment of anybody else. It doesn't mean he's better than anybody. It just means that we trusted that he could give us a good at-bat."
Philadelphia optioned Dylan Cozens to Triple-A to make room for Plouffe on the 25-man roster and designated left-hander Hoby Milner for assignment to make room for Plouffe on the 40-man roster.
When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster, and 25-man roster if he was on that as well. Within seven days of the transaction (it was previously 10 days), the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.
Phillies pinch-hitters entered Tuesday ranked 20th in baseball with a .205 (24-for-117) batting average, along with five doubles, five home runs, 18 RBIs, 11 walks and 51 strikeouts. Their 38.3-percent strikeout rate was the second-highest in baseball, and their 8.3-percent walk rate ranked 22nd. Phils pinch-hitters went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Monday's doubleheader against the Mets and left six runners on base in a Game 1 loss.

Pinch-hitters not named Nick Williams have hit a combined .146 (14-for-96) with four doubles, two home runs, 10 RBIs, 10 walks and 48 strikeouts.
The strikeout rate jumps to an untenable 43.8 percent without Williams, who has hit .476 (10-for-21) with one double, three home runs, eight RBIs, one walk and three strikeouts as a pinch-hitter.
Milner made the Opening Day roster, but he posted a 7.71 ERA in 10 appearances before being optioned to Triple-A in April. He had a 2.39 ERA in 25 appearances with the IronPigs. He joined the Phillies for Monday's doubleheader before being sent down.
Florimon to 60-day DL
The Phillies also selected the contract of right-hander Enyel De Los Santos, who started vs. the Mets on Tuesday. They placed infielder Pedro Florimon on the 60-day disabled list with a broken right foot to make room on the 40-man roster.