The Philadelphia Phillies have been making cuts to their camp, sending those who don’t have a chance of making the Opening Day roster back to the minors.
One of the early waves included star prospects Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford.
Now, more cuts have been made that feature some high-profile names.
Per Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, pitcher Mick Abel has been optioned to Triple-A, while outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr., catcher Paul McIntosh, infielder Otto Kemp and outfielder Matt Kroon were reassigned to their minor league camp.
The notable ones are Abel and Rincones.
Ranked eighth and 10th in the Phillies’ prospect rankings, respectively, both are young players who seem to be in the future plans for this franchise.
At this stage, Rincones is the one who is viewed more favorably.
He was one of the biggest winners out of the young players who got to experience Major League camp, getting taken under the wing of Kyle Schwarber to learn how he can hit left-handed pitching as a lefty batter.
His outfield position could have him on the shortlist for a promotion to The Show this year if the unit still has issues or injuries arise.
As for Abel, he is flailing when it comes to his career.
Once viewed as one of the best prospects in all of baseball, his tough showing in Triple-A last season has many people inside and outside the building concerned about his ceiling, calling into question if he really will be a top-end starter at any point.
Both players will have eyes on them throughout the minor league campaign.
None of these cuts were surprising.
The trio of McIntosh, Kemp and Kroon were likely never going to make the Opening Day roster, but Philadelphia was at least able to get a better idea of how they might perform if any of them are called up to the Majors this year.
