Phillies call up McKinley Moore, option Yunior Marte, DFA Jhailyn Ortiz
Phillies call up reliever who wowed in spring training, option Marte originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
NEW YORK -- The Phillies shipped out reliever Yunior Marte the morning after his second rough outing in three days and replaced him with 24-year-old right-handed reliever McKinley Moore, who wowed in spring training.
Marte was optioned to Triple A Lehigh Valley. Moore had his contract selected and was added to the 40-man roster. Outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz, a former big-money international signing, was designated for assignment to clear the 40-man spot.
The Phillies had a few other options already on the 40-man roster in Luis Ortiz and Erich Uelmen, but roster rules prevent them from being called up until early next week, 15 days after they were optioned to Triple A to begin the season.
The 6-foot-6 Moore certainly earned the promotion with his performance in spring training. He didn't allow an earned run over 9⅓ innings, struck out 11 and walked one. He punched out 71 in 49⅔ innings last season at Double A.
The Phillies acquired Moore from the White Sox close to opening day last year in exchange for outfielder Adam Haseley, now 27 and at Triple A. Moore was the White Sox 14th-round pick in 2019 out of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
The Phillies traded minor-league pitcher Erik Miller to the Giants for Marte on January 9. In two appearances, Marte allowed six runs and nine baserunners while recording three outs. As a staff, the Phillies have a 9.28 ERA and 2.03 WHIP in their 0-4 start.
