The Phillies have signed infielder Sergio Alcántara to a minor league deal, according to the transactions log at MLB.com. The 29-year-old is a client of The Movement Baseball.
Alcántara signed a non-roster deal with the Nationals in January. He made 12 plate appearances in Spring Training but did not make the big-league roster, leading to his release earlier this week. To date, his big-league track record consists of 506 PA over 193 games from 2020-25. In that time, he has batted .207/.278/.340 with a wRC+ of 70 while walking decently and striking out more than average. His most significant action came in 2021 with the Cubs. Alcántara’s 73 wRC+ that year was in line with his career output, but he was still worth 1.0 fWAR in 89 games thanks to his defense, including 6 Outs Above Average in 388 1/3 innings at shortstop.
He did not play in the majors from 2023-24 and spent most of 2025 in the minors as well. In 441 PA split between the Diamondbacks and Giants’ systems, Alcántara batted .251/.368/.341 with an 89 wRC+. That’s still below average, of course, although he did post an excellent 15.2% walk rate and keep his strikeouts under 20%, just as he did in 2024. Getting on base will help somewhat if he earns a bench spot with the Phillies, although his lack of power keeps him from being an average hitter.
Alcántara has always been better in the field than at the plate. Although his 2021 season was a bit of an outlier, he still profiles as a slightly above average shortstop with 3 career Defensive Runs Saved. He hasn’t fared as well in limited samples at second base (-4 career DRS) and third base (-5 DRS). On the plus side, Statcast took a positive view of Alcántara’s arm strength in 2021 and 2022, which helps him out on the left side of the infield. Ultimately, the fact that he continues to get opportunities despite his offense shows that teams are confident enough in Alcántara’s ability in the field.
The Phillies undoubtedly see him as a depth piece. Trea Turner and Bryson Stott are firmly entrenched at shortstop and second base. The club currently has Alec Bohm at the hot corner. The impending free agent has been mentioned in trade rumors in the past, but he ultimately remained with the club this offseason. Edmundo Sosa and Dylan Moore are also on the roster as backup infielders. Both have posted stronger offense in their careers than Alcántara.
Photo courtesy of Reinhold Matay, Imagn Images
