Louis Cardinals in September 2014 as a pinch hitter for Matt Holliday — whose son, Jackson, currently plays for the Baltimore Orioles. Flash forward 12 years, and Pham is again hoping to be a September call-up for a team looking to win the Central division. This time, he'll be on the fringes of the Chicago White Sox's plans after being traded Monday, Aug. 31 by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Phillies are sending Pham to Chicago; the return going to Philadelphia is not yet known. Pham, 38, was potentially on the brink of being called up from Triple-A to join the Phillies on Tuesday. Teams are allowed to expand their active rosters from 26 to 28 on Sept. 1 of each year.
Pham signed a minor league deal with the Phillies on June 27. Instead, the Phillies will call up Rafael Marchan and carry three catchers for the time being, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. More news: Phillies World Series Champion Dies Unexpectedly at 72 Pham had a .250/.381/.391 slash line in 44 games for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies’ top farm team.
The White Sox will be his fourth organization this season, following stints with the Phillies, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles. In 2024, Pham played 70 games for the White Sox and saw modest success at the plate (.710 OPS) for a rebuilding team. Few expected the White Sox to qualify for a postseason berth only two years after losing a modern-record 121 games.
Yet as of Sunday, they were 72-64, and led the Cleveland Guardians by 3.5 games for first place in the AL Central. More news: White Sox Rookie Breaks Painful 126-Year Old Franchise Record Pham bats right-handed, making him a sensible addition to Chicago's left-handed heavy outfield. Sam Antonacci, Tristan Peters and switch-hitter Colson Montgomery are getting the lion’s share of at-bats for now.
Pham probably won't disrupt that rotation, but he offers a degree of insurance in case of an injury to right-handed hitting outfielders Randal Grichuk or Brenton Doyle. Most importantly, he'll be available to the White Sox in October, a sacrifice the Phillies were ostensibly willing to make. For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
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