Phillies Sign Casey Lawrence to Minor League Contract
The Philadelphia Phillies have signed right-handed pitcher Casey Lawrence to a minor league contract, as reported by the MLB.com transaction tracker. He is set to join the Triple-A Lehigh Valley team.
Lawrence, a native of Pennsylvania and former player at Albright College, recently opted out of his minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners, who released him instead of promoting him. This season, he has pitched 131 2/3 innings, leading the minor leagues, and has a 4.37 earned run average from 23 starts with Seattle's Triple-A team in Tacoma. His performance includes a low strikeout rate of 14.4% and a walk rate of just 3.5%.
At 38 years old, Lawrence has a history as a journeyman pitcher, with 65 major league appearances over five seasons since his debut in 2017. He pitched 17 2/3 innings last year for both the Mariners and Blue Jays. With nearly 1000 career Triple-A innings over 11 years, including a stint in Japan in 2019, he brings experience to the Lehigh Valley roster. The Phillies have been searching for stability in their fifth starter position this season, with Andrew Painter receiving another chance and Lawrence joining as a depth option.
