De Los Santos is off to a strong start in his first taste of Triple-A ball for Lehigh Valley, The Athletic Philadelphia reports.
De Los Santos was acquired from the Padres in for Freddy Galvis back in December. In his first three Triple-A starts, he has a 1.98 ERA and a 1.63 FIP, striking out 36.1 percent of batters while walking 8.2 percent. In 150 innings for Double-A San Antonio last season, the young righty was good -- but not nearly this good, posting a 3.78 FIP with a 22.4 percent strikeout rate. The Phillies' analytics department made minor adjustments to De Los Santos' mechanics and pitch sequencing, which may have unlocked a new level of performance for the young righty. He wasn't in consideration for a rotation spot to begin the year, but if his hot start continues and he begins to look like something more than the back-end starter he projected to be coming into the season, he could make a push for big-league starts later in the season.