PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Phillies invited non-roster players to attend spring training and 19 others to the club’s mini-camp, including Odúbel Herrera.
For the second year in a row, Herrera will have an opportunity to earn his way back onto the big league club, which he hasn’t played for since May 2019.
At the time, Herrera was charged with simple assault in Atlantic City, but his girlfriend later dropped her complaint and the charges were dismissed. Major League Baseball suspended Herrera for 85 games. He also had to attend counseling and donate to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Herrera was taken off of the Phillies’ 40-man roster in January 2020. Per the collective bargaining agreement, any decision they make on him after this incident has to be for baseball reasons.
New Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki that mini-camp is a substitute for Minor League camp, which was moved to April 1. Herrera was in Minor League Camp last season before the coronavirus pandemic interrupted spring training. He was not added to the Phillies’ 60-man player pool during the season restart over the summer.
Dombrowski said Herrera’s status is no different than last year.
The Phillies do have a center field up for grabs right now, but the leading candidates under consideration appear to be Scott Kingery, Roman Quinn and Adam Haseley, all of whom are on the big league roster.
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Dombrowski added all the leading candidates are in their Major League camp.
Herrera played two games in the Dominican Republic in the winter, according to Zolecki, but he injured his thigh, which he has been rehabbing in Clearwater.