Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Phillies Claim Pitcher, Option Him To Triple-A

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Bernardi | Last updated Apr 2, 2025 6:00 AM ET

According to the ESPN MLB transactions log, the Philadelphia Phillies have claimed relief pitcher Brett de Geus off waivers and optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

de Geus was most recently with the Miami Marlins, but a brutal spring training, which saw him allow six earned runs and five walks over two and 2/3 innings, was enough to waive him.

The 27-year-old right-hander was a 33rd-round pick in 2017 by the Los Angeles Dodgers but has yet to put it together in the majors. de Geus has a career 7.48 ERA and 1.172 WHIP over 61 and 1/3 innings since 2021.

He is also a career journeyman, playing for the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks in ’21 before splitting time on the Seattle Mariners, Miami, and the Toronto Blue Jays last season.

Over the last two seasons, de Geus has mostly seen time at Triple-A, but still has an uninspiring 4.87 career ERA over 140 appearances in the minors.

His numbers are not eye-popping, and while he is still young enough to develop, this is likely not a move that will directly impact the Phillies' bullpen this summer.

However, there is still some upside with de Geus.

Per Baseball Savant, de Geus averaged 96.4 mph on his sinker in 2024, and despite rarely using his four-seam fastball, he averaged 98 on that pitch. No, velocity is not everything, but it is also difficult to teach. Philadelphia must have seen something with de Geus’ arm that tantalized them.

One bright side of de Geus’ resumé is his activity on multiple ball clubs. He has made relief stops on five different franchises so far, which is not an ideal stat but is still telling of his potential value. Plus, he has to be doing something right to continuously get MLB reps.

Best of luck to de Geus in Lehigh Valley as he seeks a return to the show.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: