MLB Trade Rumors broke the news Thursday: the Phillies have claimed Andrew Hoffmann off waivers from the Diamondbacks. It's a minor transaction on paper, but it's the kind of move a front office makes a dozen times a summer to keep the pitching pipeline stocked for a stretch run.
The backstory explains why Hoffmann was even available. Arizona designated him for assignment earlier in the week after a rough 2026 that saw him post a 6.85 ERA in 23 2/3 innings at the big-league level, then a 6.08 ERA in Triple-A before an injury shut him down. Because he was on the minor league injured list at the time of the DFA, the Diamondbacks couldn't outright him — release waivers were their only option, and Philadelphia scooped him up.
So why bother with a reliever who's been getting hit hard all year? Because 2025 tells a different story. Hoffmann ran a 3.19 ERA over 42 1/3 innings as a full-time Triple-A reliever last season, and that flash of effectiveness is apparently enough for the Phillies to bet on a reclamation project buried in the minors rather than on their 26-man roster.
To create the 40-man spot, Philadelphia recalled infielder/outfielder Felix Reyes and immediately placed him on the 60-day injured list with a right wrist fracture — a paperwork shuffle that also nets Reyes extra service time and big-league pay while he heals.
The bigger picture here is a Phillies pitching staff that's been leaking all summer. The bullpen has been a season-long liability, and the front office is still patching holes after a quiet trade deadline left them thin on immediate reinforcements. Hoffmann isn't walking into the majors tomorrow — he's ticketed for Lehigh Valley — but he's another arm in the system Philadelphia can call on if the bullpen keeps bleeding down the stretch.