Steward Berroa has passed through waivers, and the Phillies have sent him outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The outfielder was designated for assignment last weekend. Berroa has been DFA’d on four occasions over the past two years, but this is the first time a new team hasn’t scooped him up. That means this is the first outright assignment of his career. He will remain in the Phillies organization.
Berroa, 27, signed with the Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2016. He made his major league debut for Toronto in 2024 and has played 36 games for the Blue Jays, Brewers, and Phillies across the last three seasons. He also spent a brief stint in the Dodgers organization but did not play for the big league club. In 49 MLB plate appearances, Berroa has seven hits, nine walks, and 20 strikeouts, good for a meager .477 OPS. His numbers are better, though still unremarkable, in 926 trips to the plate at Triple-A: 17 home runs, a .256 batting average, and a .737 OPS.
Despite his mediocre bat, Berroa is a fine depth piece thanks to his speed, outfield defense, and ability to hit from both sides of the plate. The Phillies are looking to add an outfielder ahead of the trade deadline, which would push Berroa even further down their depth chart. Still, they surely aren’t mad that he’s still in the organization to continue serving as emergency depth.
