Phillies announce roster move with No. 13-ranked prospect

The Philadelphia Phillies recently made a string of roster moves that featured one very interesting decision: No. 13-ranked prospect Jean Cabrera was designated for assignment.

Seeing a team DFA a prospect ranked so highly is not something seen very often. But the Phillies made the move for good reason: Cabrera was struggling. But, as he was DFA'd, there was a chance the No. 13-ranked prospect could come back to Philadelphia.

As the Phillies announced Saturday, that's exactly what happened. Cabrera, the right-hander ranked No. 13 by MLB Pipeline in the Phillies farm system, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Double-A Reading.

Phillies No. 13-ranked prospect clears waivers, returns to Double-A

"RHP Jean Cabrera (DFA on 74) has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Reading (AA)," the Phillies announced.

This is a very interesting situation, as rarely does a team just simply DFA their No. 13-ranked prospect, and it feels even stranger that he was able to make it through waivers without a team trying to add him.

But, there's a good reason for that: Cabrera doesn't deserve a 40-man roster spot, which is why the Phillies DFA'd him in the first place on July 4.

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This season, Cabrera, the 24-year-old right-hander, had a 9.10 ERA in 15 starts, including an .891 ERA in eight starts across 34.1 innings at Double-A Reading, and a 9.32 ERA in seven starts in 28 innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

After his 3.81 ERA 2025 season and 3.80 ERA 2024 season, there was some hope for the Phillies righty. But now, there's more concern than optimism with how bad this season has gone.

While the Phillies DFA'd him earlier this summer, they were able to get him back as the right-handed pitching prospect cleared waivers, is now off the Phillies' 40-man roster, and is back in Double-A with the Phillies.

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