Phillies' Francisco Morales: Cedes 40-man spot to Kimbrel

The Phillies designated Morales for assignment Wednesday.

Morales made his big-league debut in 2022 and was regarded as one of the Phillies' better arms in the upper levels of the minors, but a poor showing at Triple-A Lehigh Valley to close out the campaign may have been a factor in him being booted off the 40-man roster. He'll cede his spot to closer Craig Kimbrel, whose one-year, $10 million deal with Philadelphia became official Wednesday. The Phillies will hope that Morales goes unclaimed off waivers, but the 23-year-old's pedigree and dominant showing at Double-A Reading (1.48 ERA, 0.86 WHIP in 30.1 innings) during the early portion of the 2022 season could be enough for another organization to put in a claim for him.