The Philadelphia Phillies have reached an agreement on a minor league contract with outfielder David Dahl, as reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via X). The deal will be finalized once Dahl successfully completes a physical examination.
During the 2022 season, Dahl did not make any appearances in the major leagues. However, he did have a brief stint with the San Diego Padres, playing in four games at the beginning of the 2023 campaign. Unfortunately, a quad strain kept him sidelined for a significant portion of two months. After being released by the Padres in June, Dahl signed another minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers but did not receive another call-up to the MLB.
Dahl, a former highly regarded prospect, will now seek a fresh start with the Phillies. Throughout his career, he has moved from team to team, earning the label of a journeyman. In the 2012 draft, the Colorado Rockies selected Dahl as the 10th overall pick. However, injuries have plagued his career, including a lacerated spleen suffered during a collision while playing in the minor leagues in 2015. Dahl made his major league debut in 2016 and had an impressive batting average of .297, an on-base percentage of .346, and a slugging percentage of .521 over 921 plate appearances with the Rockies from 2016 to 2019. His performance earned him a spot on the NL All-Star roster in 2019.
Unfortunately, Dahl’s performance took a significant dip in 2020, leading to the Rockies surprisingly non-tendering him during the offseason. He then signed with the Texas Rangers but struggled to regain his form, posting a batting average of .210, an on-base percentage of .247, and a slugging percentage of .322 over 220 plate appearances before being released in August 2021. Since parting ways with the Rangers, Dahl has joined four other teams on minor league contracts.
Brandon Marsh, another Phillies outfielder, recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will not participate in any Spring Training games until early March. However, the team remains optimistic that Marsh will be ready for Opening Day. Despite Marsh’s injury, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski initially did not anticipate seeking additional outfield help. Nevertheless, the Phillies have now signed two outfield-capable players in the past two days, including Dahl and Whit Merrifield. It is worth noting that Dahl’s contract is not guaranteed, and Merrifield can also play second base, providing versatility for the team. Additionally, Philadelphia has several other left-handed hitting outfield candidates, such as Jake Cave, Simon Muzziotti, and Cal Stevenson.
According to the Source mlbtraderumors.com