The Philadelphia Phillies saw their winning streak stopped at nine on Monday when they fell to the Seattle Mariners 9-2 in the opener of a grueling West Coast road trip that sees the Phils play nine games in 10 days.
With a narrow, two-game hold on the second National League Wild Card spot the Phillies send Aaron Nola to the mound Tuesday as they hope to regain their momentum in the race for a postseason berth.
Before Game 2 of the Mariners series, Philadelphia quietly made a move with an outfield prospect who apparently interests the Phillies so much that they signed him to a rare, two-year minor-league free agent contract just six weeks ago.
Wuilfredo Antunez Gets the Call to Triple-A
GettyPhillies minor league outfielder Wuilfredo Antunez when he was still with the Cleveland Guardians.
That prospect is Wuilfredo Antunez, and Monday’s move sent him from Double-A Reading to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, according to an announcement posted to the official MiLB.com transactions log. It’s the third stop for the 24-year-old outfielder in five weeks, a climb that started the moment Philadelphia scooped him up as a minor league free agent.
Antunez, born Wuilfredo De Jesus Antunez on May 16, 2002, in Rio Tucani, Venezuela, signed with Cleveland’s organization as an international free agent for $10,000 back in 2019, and by 2023 had climbed high enough in that system to crack the Guardians’ top 30 organizational prospect rankings, with evaluators pointing to his speed, instincts and arm strength across all three outfield spots.
His stock kept climbing in 2025. Antunez batted .275 with 18 home runs, 67 RBI and an .856 OPS between High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron, production that landed him a Midwest League Player of the Week honor that June and a trip to the Arizona Fall League that fall. A right shoulder injury cut that showcase to two games, and 2026 brought a reversal Cleveland could not let slide. Antunez hit just .196 back at Double-A, and the organization released him on July 12.
The Phillies’ Bet on a Bounce-Back
Philadelphia moved quickly, signing Antunez to that unusual two-year minor-league deal and assigning him to High-A Jersey Shore. Forbes‘ Peter Chawaga framed the multiyear structure as one built for patience, giving the Phillies extended runway to find out whether Antunez can rediscover his 2025 form while guaranteeing him roster stability that a standard one-year deal wouldn’t. The signing also reflects Philadelphia’s broader approach of accumulating controllable, high-upside young talent even while the major league roster chases a playoff spot, betting that a bounce-back season could eventually pay off either as internal depth or as a trade chip down the road.
The early returns on that bet are still mixed. Across three organizations this season, Antunez is batting .202 with 14 home runs, 53 RBI and a .653 OPS in 337 at-bats.
A September call-up isn’t out of the question if Antunez hits at Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia’s active roster opens up as the Phillies try to hold off San Diego for that second Wild Card spot. The 24-year-old has yet to make his major league debut.
Phillies Quietly Promote Outfielder Released by Guardians After Mariners Loss