Nationals' Griff McGarry: Stolen by division rival
Rotowire
The Nationals selected McGarry with the third pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.
McGarry has been a known prospect for several years due to his nasty stuff, but he has never thrown enough strikes as a starter. The 26-year-old righty logged a 3.44 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 124 strikeouts and 49 walks in 83.2 innings in 2025, primarily at Double-A. McGarry could be a late-inning weapon thanks to a devastating fastball/sweeper combination, but he'd need to improve his command to work in high-leverage spots.
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Phillies' Griff McGarry: Deactivated at Triple-A
Rotowire
Triple-A Lehigh Valley placed McGarry on its 7-day injured list May 24 with an unspecified injury.
McGarry's last appearance came May 18 against Norfolk, when he walked four batters and recorded just three outs. The injury could have played a part in his poor form in that outing, though poor control has been a hallmark of McGarry's statistical profile through every stop of the minors. The 24-year-old reliever has turned in a 3.57 ERA but has walked 15 batters over 17.2 innings at Lehigh Valley this season.
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Phillies' Griff McGarry: Moving to bullpen at Triple-A
Rotowire
The Phillies reassigned McGarry to minor-league camp Monday, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Manager Rob Thomson also noted that McGarry will be used as a reliever this season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 24-year-old holds a career 34.6 percent strikeout rate and 15.9 percent walk rate during his time in the minors while being used mostly as a starter, so a move to relief doesn't come as much of a surprise. Thomson added that the move isn't necessarily permanent.
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Phillies' Griff McGarry: Active at Double-A
Rotowire
McGarry (side) struck out two and allowed one run on one hit and one walk in two innings in his first start of the season for Double-A Reading.
The 23-year-old righty made one rehab appearance, striking out two in one inning for Single-A Clearwater earlier this month. Now that he is fully healthy after suffering an oblique injury in spring training, McGarry will set his sights on showcasing starter-level command and control after walking 53 batters in 87.1 innings last season.
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Phillies' Griff McGarry: Starts up rehab assignment
Rotowire
McGarry (side) began a rehab assignment last week with Single-A Clearwater and gave up one run on one hit while striking out two in a one-inning start Friday.
McGarry has resided on Double-A Reading's 7-day injured list all season due to side tightness, so the Phillies will likely have him ramp up slowly in the lower minors over the course of another rehab start or two before he's deemed ready for Eastern League action. The 23-year-old right-hander split time between three levels in 2022, pitching to a 3.71 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 130:53 K:BB over 87.1 innings.
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Phillies' Griff McGarry: Stuck on IL
Rotowire
Double-A Reading placed McGarry (side) on its 7-day injured list April 5.
McGarry wasn't included on Reading's season-opening roster while he works his way back from side tightness, but the right-hander isn't expected to be in store for a long-term absence. When he's been healthy, the 23-year-old has shown the ability to make bats miss at a prolific clip, as he owns a stellar 37.9 percent strikeout rate over 111.2 career innings in the minors.
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Phillies' Griff McGarry: Dealing with side tightness
Rotowire
McGarry is not on the active season-opening roster at Double-A Reading due to side tightness, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
But the Phillies believe it's minor, per Lauber, and don't expect McGarry to miss much time. The 23-year-old right-hander racked up 130 strikeouts across 87.1 minor-league innings in 2022, though he did issue a whopping 53 walks along the way. He'll repeat the Double-A level to begin the 2023 campaign after a short stint in the Triple-A Lehigh Valley bullpen last September.
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Phillies' Griff McGarry: Back in action at Double-A
Rotowire
McGarry (finger) struck out four over six scoreless innings in his return from Double-A Reading's 7-day injured list Saturday. He scattered two hits, one walk and a hit batsmen in the 65-pitch start.
McGarry was sharp in his first start for Reading since July 6 after he had been shut down shortly before the All-Star break due to a blister. The 23-year-old righty received his promotion to Double-A earlier this month after turning in a 3.86 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 82:24 K:BB across 46.2 innings at High-A Jersey Shore to begin the season.
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Phillies' Griff McGarry: Promoted to Double-A
Rotowire
McGarry was promoted from High-A Jersey Shore to Double-A Reading on Saturday, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
A fifth-round pick last year, McGarry has been able to rise up the minor-league ladder rather quickly. The strikeouts have carried over from his collegiate career at the University of Virginia (82 strikeouts in 46.2 innings at High-A this season). The walks have carried over too, unfortunately, but the strikeout upside gives McGarry a bit of intrigue even if he is already 23 years old.
