Catcher Josh Phegley has had some bad luck in recent years with injuries. The former Indiana catcher has only appeared in 82 games over the last two seasons for the Oakland A’s.
That lack of availability might be part of the reason why the A’s went a different route this spring and Phegley ended up with Oakland’s Triple A affiliate in Nashville.
While it probably wasn’t the path back to the majors that he was expecting or seeking, Phegley was called up by Oakland on Thursday and joined the A’s in Toronto for a four game series.
Oakland placed catcher Bruce Maxwell on the restricted list. Under Canadian immigration guidelines, Maxwell cannot enter Canada while awaiting sentencing in Arizona on a gun-related charge. Maxwell was arrested in Arizona in October after a food delivery person alleged he pointed a gun at her at his Scottsdale home. Maxwell pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in April and is to be sentenced June 4.
In his first action of the 2018 season, Phegely took advantage of the opportunity on Friday night. He went 1 for 4 with a double and an RBI.
Phegley was traded from the White Sox to the A’s before the 2015 season. He played in a platoon to face left handed pitchers in 2015 and excelled in that role. Phegley hit nine home runs and drove in 34 runs in 73 games. He also threw out 38 percent of attempted stolen bases. Since then, injuries have held him back.
Phegley is hitting .224 with 3 home runs and 14 RBIs thus far this year with Nashville.
An Indiana native, Phegley attended Terre Haute North High School. He was named Indiana’s Mr. Baseball in 2006.
The 30 year old made his debut in the majors with the White Sox in 2013. You can watch his first major league home run here:
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