While the Philadelphia Phillies are taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks in a West Coast showdown, they have quietly made an intriguing signing in Major League Baseball.
Before getting into that, it’s important to note that the Phillies won the series opener on Monday night against the Diamondbacks and are now 4.0 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.
So far, it’s been a pretty successful West Coast trip for Philly, and they will return home to face the aforementioned Atlanta Braves this weekend.
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Phillies Signed Pitcher Sam Carlson on Tuesday
According to MLB.com’s transactions tracker, the Philadelphia Phillies have signed 27-year-old pitcher Sam Carlson to a minor-league contract. He has since been assigned to AA Reading.
Carlson had previously pitched in the Houston Astros organization, but he was released shortly after the MLB trade deadline, which was a bit of a surprise because Carlson does actually have solid statistics in the minors.
In 2026, with AAA Sugar Land (Astros), Sam Carlson boasted an ERA of 3.47 across 36.1 innings with 43 strikeouts.
He’s also been a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Seattle Mariners organizations.
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More on Pitcher Sam Carlson
Sam Carlson was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2017.
In seven total minors seasons, Carlson carries an ERA of 4.50 over 352.1 IP with 408 strikeouts.
Across 96 total innings in AAA, Carlson owns an ERA of 3.94 with 121 strikeouts over 76 appearances (all out of the bullpen).
He was brought up as a starter, but then transitioned into a bullpen role in 2023, which was his final season in the Mariners organization before moving to the Brewers system.
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Philadelphia Phillies Quietly Sign Intriguing 27-Year-Old Pitcher During Diamondbacks Series