Phillies news and rumors 8/16: Pair of former Phillies land with new teams

A recent Phillie and a less-recent Phillie found new homes on Tuesday.

Josh Harrison has signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, his agency, MSM Sports, announced. According to the agency, Harrison will head to Triple-A Round Rock, where he’ll primarily play second and third base.

That’s where Harrison roamed for the bulk of his time with the Phillies this season; he also played eight games as a corner outfielder (and, yes, pitched twice). His four-month tenure didn’t go as planned. After signing a one-year, $2 million contract in January, Harrison slashed .204/.263/.291 with -4 defensive runs saved in 40 games. He was designated for assignment to make room for Michael Lorenzen on the 40-man roster.

If he can turn the page quickly with his new club, perhaps it’s because he’s well-practiced. The Rangers will be Harrison’s sixth team in five years since leaving the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 2018 season.

Former Phillies catcher Jorge Alfaro found a new home as well, depending on your definition of the word “new.” Alfaro signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald.

This will be Alfaro’s second stint in the organization, the first beginning when the Phillies sent him to Miami in February 2019 as part of the return for J.T. Realmuto. Feel like a long time ago? You’re right: The Phillies signed Bryce Harper that month.

Alfaro hit .270 with a .749 OPS in three years with the Phillies, then regressed to .252 and .684 in three years with Miami. He’s bounced around the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox organizations at the major- and minor-league levels since.

Must-read (or watch) Phillies content

• Catch up on Media Little League’s run to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, where they’ll meet the Phillies on Sunday — from Phillies Nation‘s Bailey Digh.
• From Phillies Nation‘s Ty Daubert: The Phillies promoted Justin Crawford, one of their top prospects, to High-A Clearwater.
• Give a listen to the latest episode of Phillies Therapy, which breaks down the Phillies’ pitching down the stretch and into October.
• This great story from the Delco Times’ Matt DeGeorge features a link between Kyle Schwarber and a 1993 pennant-winning Phillie.
• Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about Dylan Covey’s revamped arsenal and why the Phillies feel he is “progressing in the right direction.”
• Here’s a crazy story. Toronto Blue Jays rookie Davis Schneider is using John Vukovich’s old glove. Schneider, according to Scott Lauber, found the glove at a local lost-and-found.

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