Kingery Activated From Injured List, Williams Optioned to Lehigh Valley
Scott Kingery is back. Nick Williams, in a somewhat surprising move, is out. At least for now.
The Phillies activated Kingery, who is hitting .406 in 14 games this season, from the injured list this morning. They’ll waste no time getting him back on the field as the Phillies look to complete a three-game sweep of the Rockies. Kingery will start in centerfield in place of Odubel Herrera, who has struggled over the past two weeks since coming back from the injured list, posting only a .186 average and .620 OPS during that time.
You can likely expect Kingery to also see some action at third base where Maikel Franco has struggled in May. In 15 games this month, Franco is hitting only .182 and has yet to homer. I guess it’s not hard to see why the Phillies are collectively hitting only .225 with a .649 OPS over the last two weeks.
As for Williams, it’s been a rough go for him this season. He’s been unable to replicate his success of a year ago, hitting only .180 with one homer in 61 at-bats. He will head to Triple-A Lehigh Valley where he should benefit from regular playing time, something he wasn’t getting in Philly.
The move leaves the Phillies with backup catcher Andrew Knapp as the team’s only left-handed bat off the bench, unless, of course, Kingery is in the lineup for Herrera. Either way, it’s a thin bench, one with a glaring lack of power. Knapp, Sean Rodriguez, and Phil Gosselin have combined for one home run in 96 at-bats this season. That is, uh, well–it’s not great.