The Cincinnati Reds have announced that outfielder Phillip Ervin will be promoted this weekend on Saturday and Sunday for their series in Monterrey, Mexico against the St. Louis Cardinals. Rosters are being expanded for the series. It’s also noted by the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale that the team has to use that spot for a position player, not a pitcher.
Phillip Ervin had a strong spring for the Cincinnati Reds. And he had a good season in 2018 while splitting his time between Triple-A Louisville and the Major Leagues with the Reds. But with the team deciding to go with a larger bullpen, he was a casualty to the numbers game.
In 2019 he’s played in seven games with the Louisville Bats down in Triple-A. And on the surface, he’s out to a slow start at the plate. He’s hitting /.148. And he’s also slugging .148. His on-base percentage is .281. That’s good for an OPS of just .429. But he’s walked more times than he’s struck out and his BABIP is all of .174. Small sample size alert – this doesn’t mean much. He’s played for a week. Read next to nothing into the stats.
With an outfield that already includes Scott Schebler, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, and Jesse Winker, if Phillip Ervin gets into games this weekend expect it to be as a pinch hitter or a pinch runner. In both of those scenarios he can be beneficial. He’s a good base runner who may be the fastest player on the team. At the plate he’s got some pop in his bat. And he also brings a solid approach to the dish with him.