Phillies Call-Up Tommy Joseph, Send Darin Ruf To IronPigs
By Ray Boyd
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Phillies are adding some offense from within. On Friday, the team selected the contract of first baseman Tommy Joseph from Lehigh Valley.
To make room on the roster, Darin Ruf has been optioned to Lehigh Valley.
In 27 games this season, Joseph, 24, is hitting .347 for the IronPigs. He also has six home runs.
It's safe to say it's been a rough start to the year for Ruf. He is hitting .158 on the year with three RBIs and has yet to take a pitch deep. Ruf has split first-base duties with Ryan Howard who is hitting .176 with eight home runs.
When Joseph was acquired in 2012, in the Hunter Pence trade, he was lined up to be the Phillies catcher of the future. Too many concussions derailed that future and Joseph was moved to first base to avoid contact that could lead to another one.
The Phillies have been better than anyone expected this season with their 20-15 record and on Friday night, they open a series against the 14-20 Reds. With this move, the Phillies are showing that they are still looking for ways to improve this roster, despite the expectations this season.
With both first baseman in the big leagues hitting south of .180, adding Joseph seems to be a no-brainer.
