Two weeks into their Grapefruit League schedule, the Philadelphia Phillies have started making roster cuts as they work toward finalizing their 26-man Opening Day roster. While there’s still a lot to sort out, Saturday morning brought more clarity on which players won’t be heading north with the team on March 27.
Prior to their home game against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Phillies announced that right-handed pitching prospects Jean Cabrera and Moises Chace were optioned to Double-A Reading. Additionally, right-hander Griff McGarry was reassigned to minor league camp.
Phillies trim top prospects Moises Chace and Jean Cabrera in latest round of spring training roster cuts
Chace, 21, joined the Phillies at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Gregory Soto to the Orioles. According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, the Phillies believe they may have uncovered a hidden gem in the right-hander. Chace recently climbed to No. 5 on MLB Pipeline’s updated list of the Phillies’ Top 30 prospects. His lone appearance in Grapefruit League play was on Friday, when he pitched a scoreless, hitless inning in the Phillies’ 3-2 loss to the Pirates at LECOM Park. He needed just 10 pitches to get through the seventh inning. Zolecki noted that Chace’s fastball topped out at 93.9 mph in that outing, though he typically sits in the mid-90s and touched 98 mph last season.
Cabrera, 23, has made two appearances for the Phillies this spring. Over three innings, he recorded a win, allowed one solo homer, struck out five batters, and issued three walks. In his most recent outing Thursday against the Rays, his four-seam fastball averaged 93.5 mph and peaked at 94.5 mph, while his sinker reached 94.2 mph. Cabrera is coming off a breakout season in the minors, earning recognition from MLB Pipeline as the organization’s breakout prospect. He enters this spring ranked as the Phillies’ No. 11 prospect.
Chace and Cabrera remain on the Phillies’ 40-man roster, while Griff McGarry, who was also cut on Saturday, had been in camp as a non-roster invitee. McGarry’s struggles have continued this spring, as he’s fallen all the way to No. 30 in MLB Pipeline’s prospect rankings after previously being ranked as high as No. 3 in the system in 2023.
The 25-year-old right-hander appeared in two games this spring, allowing three earned runs over 1 2/3 innings, resulting in a 16.20 ERA and a 3.60 WHIP. He surrendered four hits, struck out four, and issued two walks. Last season, when healthy, McGarry spent most of his time at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he posted a 4.70 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP across 20 2/3 innings. In 29 appearances for the IronPigs, he walked 36 batters (a 10.57 BB/9 rate) while striking out 40 (11.74 K/9).
These three are the latest prospects to be cut from Phillies camp this spring. The first round of roster reductions took place on March 4, when the team reassigned top prospects Aidan Miller (ranked No. 2) and Justin Crawford (No. 3), along with three additional players, to minor league camp.
