Phillies begin to purge 40-man roster

The Phillies ended the season with 47 players on their 40-man roster, a product of multiple injuries to pitchers and the need to add some arms to survive September. They do not need to trim the roster to 40 until five days after the conclusion of the World Series, but the team has begun that process.

Three players  — Ty Kelly, Kevin Siegrist, and Henderson Alvarez  —  cleared waivers Wednesday and elected free agency. That put the 40-man roster at 44.

Kelly, 29, was purchased in April from Toronto and spent most of the season on the Phillies' active roster. He last started a game on July 16 and batted 27 times after that. Siegrist, 28, pitched in seven games for the Phillies after they claimed him on waivers from St. Louis. He was eligible for salary arbitration. Alvarez, 27, had a 4.30 ERA in three starts for the Phillies in September.

There will be more players removed from the roster. Some moves will happen later, when Clay Buchholz, Andres Blanco, Daniel Nava, and Hyun Soo Kim officially become free agents after the World Series. Other deletions could happen this week.

The Phillies now have four arbitration-eligible players: Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernandez, Cameron Rupp and Luis Garcia. Siegrist, who made $1.64 million in 2017, would have received a raise through arbitration.

Later in the offseason, the Phillies will have a few players to add to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. Three pitchers  —  Franklyn Kilome, Seranthony Dominguez and Ranger Suarez  —  appear to be locks for protection.