The Phillies made a minor roster move on Sunday, selecting the contract of right-handed reliever Chris Devenski from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Southpaw Brad Hand was placed on the 15-day Injured List with left elbow tendonitis to clear a spot on the active roster, while infielder Johan Camargo was designated for assignment to open up a spot on the 40-man roster.
Devenski made a name for himself with the Houston Astros after debuting in 2016, earning himself an All-Star selection and a dubious World Series ring with the team in 2017. Overall, the Dragon tossed 309.0 innings of 3.35 ERA ball across five seasons in Houston, but had a much rougher go of it in his short stint with the Diamondbacks over the past two years. In 18 total games for Arizona, Devenski posted an awful 8.00 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 18.0 innings. After being let go by the D-Backs earlier this year Devenski signed a minor league deal with the Phillies, and worked to a terrific 1.04 ERA in 8.2 innings with the Iron Pigs.
Interim Manager Rob Thomson will likely deploy Devenski in lower leverage situations, adding a fresh arm to a beleaguered Phillies relief corps. With Hand down, that marks the fall of the third big Phillies’ free agent reliever signing from this past offseason, as Jeurys Familia was let go earlier this summer, and Corey Knebel is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Closer Seranthony Domínguez has struggled since his recent return from injury, and trade deadline acquisition David Robertson has hit a few bumps in the road of late. Fireballing lefty José Alvarado has been nails since his return from Triple-A, but otherwise the Phillies are light on reliable relievers at the moment.
As for Camargo, the 28-year-old Panamanian was the preferred utility option for deposed Manager Joe Girardi to begin the season, but found himself falling out of favor once Thomson took the reins. With the stellar performance of Bryson Stott, and the acquisitions of fellow infielders Yairo Muñoz and Edmundo Sosa, Camargo was demoted to Triple-A. His DFA likely marks the end of a mediocre tenure in Philadelphia, and Camrago will be looking for another job next season.