Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Herrera going to spring training
Center of Attention: Disgraced outfielder gets non-roster invitation
A narrow path for Odubel Herrera to rejoin the Phillies was cleared Tuesday when the disgraced former All-Star outfielder was invited as a non-roster player to the training minicamp.
Herrera, 29, last played for the Phillies in 2019 before being suspended for violating baseball’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. He had been arrested on May 27 of that year. Police had arrested Herrera, charging him with simple assault of his 20-year-old girlfriend at the Golden Nugget Hotel in Atlantic City.
According to the police report, the alleged victim had “visible signs of injury to her arms and neck that was sustained after being assaulted by her boyfriend, David Odubel Herrera, during a dispute.”
The alleged victim did not press charges, and the case was dropped. Yet Herrera remained suspended for the rest of the year and was designated for assignment before the 2020 season. Herrera was not picked up by another team.
Herrera is contracted to earn $10.35 million from the Phillies this year. At the end of this season, the Phillies can buy out the remaining $24 million of Herrera’s contract for $2.5 million.
Since he was hitting .222 in 36 at-bats in 2019, and had hit just .255 in 2018, Herrera is not considered a serious threat to win a spot on the Phillies’ 26-man roster. However, centerfield is the one regular everyday position expected to be available during spring training. That will begin Tuesday when pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater, Fla.
Stopping short of a commitment, new team president Dave Dombrowski recently hinted Herrera could surface in Clearwater.
“That was addressed by him and the organization last year in regards to that situation,” Dombrowski said. “He was in camp last year. That really hasn’t changed from that perspective. He had served his punishment with the commissioner’s office. He had gone through the rehab that he needed to. He did more actually.”
With Andrew McCutchen set in left and Bryce Harper in right, Roman Quinn, Scott Kingery and Adam Haseley will have the first opportunities to win time in center. Quinn hit .213 last season, Kingery .228, Haseley .278 without a home run.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do in center,” Dombrowski said. “That is a battle. (Herrera) is in a different situation than Kingery, Haseley and Quinn. They are in our big-league camp. He hasn’t played in two years. So we’re not really sure what we would see.”
The collective bargaining agreement prevents teams from punishing players after suspensions without a baseball reason. Since Herrera
did not play last year, the Phillies would be required to judge him on the field before making a formal decision on his future.
Herrera was an All-Star in 2016 when he hit .286 with 25 home runs.
According to the Phillies, Herrera completed counseling and has made donations to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Also invited to the Phillies’ spring training minicamp Tuesday were pitchers Tyler Carr, Enyel de Los Santos, Julian Garcia, J.D. Hammer, Jonathan Hennigan, Jakob Hernandez, Erik Miller, David Paulino and Zach Warren, with catchers Edgar Cabral and Logan O’Hoppe, and infielders Darick Hall, Bryson Stott and Luke Williams. Outfielders Jhailyn Ortiz, Johan Rojas and Matt Vierling were also invited.
Invited to the minor-league camp Tuesday were outfielders Travis Jankowski and Matt Joyce, infielder Ronald Torreyes, catchers Christian Bethancourt, Rodolfo Duran and Jeff Mathis, along with pitchers Neftali Feliz, Brandon Kintzler, Bryan Mitchell, Ivan Nova, Hector Rondon and Michael Ynoa.
The Phillies will open Grapefruit League play Feb. 28 in Lakeland, Fla., against the Detroit Tigers.