Phillies get former top prospect back from Nationals after Rule 5 Draft

This offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies saw a few players impacted by the Rule 5 Draft, one of which was Zach McCambley, whom the Phillies took a chance on.

However, he failed to make the MLB roster and was returned to the Miami Marlins. But that's not all that resulted from the Rule 5 Draft. The Phillies lost a former top prospect in a right-handed pitcher who looked to have turned his career around in 2025.

That prospect was Griff McGarry, a Rule 5 Draft pick by the Washington Nationals who, as the Phillies announced a few days before Opening Day, was returned to the Phillies organization after failing to make the Nationals roster.

Phillies get Griff McGarry back from Nationals

"RHP Griff McGarry was returned to the organization from the Washington Nationals and was assigned to Lehigh Valley (AAA)," the Phillies announced.

McGarry has been a consistent top-30 prospect for the Phillies over the years, ranking third in the Phillies' 2023 MLB Pipeline prospect rankings.

This spring, McGarry had a 3.18 ERA in six games across 5.2 innings of work. It wasn't a bad spring by any means, but the 26-year-old didn't make the Nationals roster.

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Now, he's been returned to the Phillies organization, giving the Phillies an intriguing right-handed bullpen or starting pitching option this season.

He had a 3.44 ERA in 21 starts in 2025, and seemed to have turned a corner after a rough 4.55 ERA 2024 season across 30 relief appearances, and a 6.00 ERA in 17 starts in 2023.

McGarry could be a sneaky good player to get back this year for the Phillies, as he could, at worst, be quality organizational depth.

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