ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A month and a half after he was traded to the Phillies, Steward Berroa can say with confidence that Triple-A Lehigh Valley has provided the fresh start he needed.
“So far it’s been a lot of love, because the Phillies organization, the IronPigs here are people that treat players like family, being able to give us the warmth that we need,” Berroa said Friday at Coca-Cola Park.
Berroa, 26, has started 34 games for the IronPigs since being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations on April 8. The switch-hitting outfielder has anchored down center field, where he spent most of his early career before also splitting reps between both left and right field, in all but two appearances. With Berroa maintaining a .985 fielding percentage in center, he said the return to normalcy has “been really comfy.”
“When I started my career in the outfield, I was mainly in center field,” he said. “Lately in my career in the big leagues, I started playing more corners, which I think I’m good at, too. And then I came here. They see something that can help the team and do good stuff in center field.”
Berroa is batting .269 with a .822 OPS, along with four home runs and 19 RBIs, finding some much-needed stability at the plate after posting an .237 average in 2025 while bouncing around five teams between the Los Angeles Dodgers’ and Brewers’ farm systems.
After starting off hot with a .328 average through 13 games with the IronPigs, Berroa hit a 6-of-41 skid from April 28 to May 12. He’s been finding his groove again — batting .321 since — by focusing on “just trying to swing at strikes.”
“I feel like baseball always has something to improve,” Berroa said. “I’ve been searching videos and trying to find stuff that I can be better at, and we’ve been having a really good approach based on: don’t chase, and have the best version of me being quick to the ball.”
“He plays with a lot of emotion, and he wears his heart on his sleeve,” IronPigs manager Chris Adamson said of Berroa. “His energy is amazing, and he’s a really good person to be around.”
The IronPigs have batted .229 across the past 30 days, second to last in the International League East in that span. While several Lehigh Valley batters have fallen victim to the slump, Adamson said Berroa “might have been putting a little bit too much pressure” on himself to make up for the quiet offense as a whole, causing him to chase out of the zone more.
“With him, it’s almost trying to do less and let the game come to him,” Adamson said. “Just trying to get him to pump the brakes and just allow the game to come to him a little bit more, but he’s great to have.”
Berroa, a native of the Dominican Republic, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2016. After spending six full seasons climbing up the minor-league ranks, a breakout season for Triple-A Buffalo in 2024 earned him his first promotion to majors that July. In 28 appearances for the Blue Jays, he hit .189/.333/.216 with six stolen bases and an RBI.
After being traded to the Dodgers last May, Berroa batted .330 in 27 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, but he was designated for assignment two months later. He was signed by the Brewers the next week, going 0-for-5 in two starts for Milwaukee and also struggling while frequently moving between minor-league squads. Berroa began the 2026 season with two appearances with Triple-A Nashville before he was designated for assignment and swiftly traded to the Phillies.
While he’s since rebounded with the IronPigs, Berroa knows there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
“Just keep being better,” he said. “Don’t get thrown out a lot on the bases, put the barrel more often on the ball and 100% being able to help the team however (possible).”
Berroa has a spot on the Phillies’ 40-man roster. While his IronPigs teammate Felix Reyes was promoted the last time the club needed an outfielder, Berroa will be someone to keep an eye on as the season progresses, especially if the team could use a depth center fielder to come up at some point.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m doing good or not,” Berroa said. “Just always find a way to be in the next level and how to get myself back in the big leagues.”
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