Phillies acquire versatile Ty Kelly to fill in for injured Kendrick

The Phillies, upon learning that their starting leftfielder would miss another two or three weeks, searched for a solution to fill their depleted bench. Rather than promote from within, they acquired Ty Kelly in a cash transaction Saturday.

Kelly, a 28-year-old veteran of 40 big-league games, will join the Phillies on Tuesday. This was his second time on waivers in the season's first three weeks.

The Phillies had an internal option in Jesmuel Valentin, a 22-year-old infield prospect who has started well at triple-A Lehigh Valley.

"He would have been a candidate for sure," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. "But we're constantly trying to balance what is the right thing for the major-league bench with what is the right thing for a player's development. And in Jes' case, he's off to a real good start. The more we can do to allow him to keep that going, the better. That was a viable possibility absent Ty Kelly becoming available."

Kelly, who can play every position but catcher and pitcher, started the season with the Mets. The Blue Jays claimed him April 10. He was designated for assignment Friday. He is regarded for his ability to reach base.

Howie Kendrick will not return from the disabled list when eligible Wednesday. He suffered a rib-cage injury that will sideline him longer than the Phillies originally anticipated. They have played with an eight-man bullpen and four-man bench since Tuesday.

"Right now, it's a good opportunity for Ty," Klentak said. "He's a switch-hitter, and he can play multiple positions."

Luis Robert, a 19-year-old Cuban prospect, was declared a free agent last week by Major League Baseball, but the Phillies are not likely to sign him.

Robert is eligible to sign during the current international free-agent period. The six or seven teams connected to Robert have all blown through their international bonus pool limits for this signing period. That means they will already face restrictions in the next two signing periods, so their only deterrent to signing Robert would be the additional tax penalties on his bonus.

The hard caps instituted in the new basic agreement do not take effect until after June 15, so Robert will sign before then.

The Phillies spent their entire pool of $5.6 million for the current period. If they were to blow past it to sign Robert, it could jeopardize future agreements with teenagers in the next two signing periods. Teams that exceed their 2016-17 bonus pools by more than 15 percent are not permitted to sign a player for more than $300,000 in the next two periods.

It is believed the Phillies have at least one multi-

million agreement with a player for the 2017-18 period.

Victor Arano, a relief prospect who injured his right elbow in spring training, has continued an up-and-down rehab in Florida. "He'll have his good days where everything is progressing, and then he'll have a setback," Klentak said. "Right now we're hopeful."