LOS ANGELES _ The Phillies appear to be preparing for a roster without Odubel Herrera for a while. With the center fielder's status in limbo as the team awaits a decision from Major League Baseball in regards to his Memorial Day simply assault arrest in Atlantic City, news surfaced via an ESPN tweet from Jeff Passan Saturday that the team is in talks with the Seattle Mariners about acquiring veteran slugger Jay Bruce.
A Phillies source confirmed the talks, but said no deal is imminent and that the team is also in discussions with other clubs about acquiring a left-handed bench bat.
Bruce, 32, hit his 300th career home run Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels and he has 14 home runs this season for the Mariners. He is hitting just .212 overall with 35 hits in 165 at-bats, but 25 of his hits have been for extra bases.
He has the ability to play first base as well as both corner outfield positions. Bruce has started 20 games in right field, six in left field and 15 at first base for the Mariners this season. He has also been their designated hitter three times.
With Herrera possibly facing a suspension, the Phillies have a shortage of left-handed bats on their roster right now. The only two regulars that hit from the left side are right fielder Bryce Harper and switch-hitting second baseman Cesar Hernandez. Of course, it could be argued that even with Herrera that they had a shortage of quality left-handed bats.
Herrera was hitting .222 with one home run and 12 extra-base hits before being placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball Tuesday. His spot on the roster was filled by the left-handed hitting Nick Williams, who has been in a season-long slump that had led to his demotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the middle of May. Since returning to the Phillies, Williams was hitless in eight at-bats with six strikeouts before Saturday night's game against Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium.
The Phillies' only other left-handed hitting option off the bench when Williams is in the lineup is switch-hitting catcher Andrew Knapp.
Overall Phillies left-handed hitters were batting .242 with a .331 on-base percentage and .741 OPS before Saturday's game. All three numbers ranked 16th or lower in baseball. The Phillies' 19 home runs from their left-handed bats ranked 23rd and 10 of them have been provided by Harper.
