The Phillies could be nearing a promotion for Odúbel Herrera | Extra Innings

Gabe Kapler was booed Monday night, but he left Citizens Bank Park with his 200th career victory. The Phillies went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base as they were shut out by Kapler and the Giants. Bryce Harper had three hits, and the rest of the lineup combined for just four. The Phillies have a problem with their production in center field, but that’s not the only spot in the lineup that’s struggling.

“I think we’re a little bit shocked by some of our numbers, but we can turn it around tomorrow,” manager Joe Girardi said. “That’s the great thing about this game. We get a chance to do it tomorrow.”

You’re signed up to get this newsletter in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during spring training. If you like what you’re reading, tell your friends it’s free to sign up here. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to read, so send me feedback by email or on Twitter @matt_breen. Thank you for reading.

— Matt Breen (extrainnings@inquirer.com)

Roman Quinn has one hit this season, Adam Haseley is on a leave of absence, and Mickey Moniak has struck out in 66% of his at-bats since returning last week to the major leagues.

The Phillies have tried all three in center field, and none has produced. Dave Dombrowski said Monday that he’s open to trading for an upgrade, but that the team will first exhaust its internal options. And that might mean Odúbel Herrera could soon join the Phillies.

“Well, we’re not happy with what’s going on. We’re on our third center fielder in a sense,” Girardi said after Monday’s loss. “Mickey’s getting a chance, and we’ll continue to give him a chance. I know they’re all capable of hitting at a much higher clip. They’re just not doing it for whatever reason. But we need someone to be somewhat productive out there.”

Herrera has not played in the majors since he was arrested in May 2019 on domestic violence charges in Atlantic City. He was suspended for the remainder of the 2019 season and was kept away from the team last summer.

The Phillies brought him to spring training in February and said he would be judged on his baseball performance, not his past. Girardi said last week that ownership remained on board with having Herrera join the Phillies.

Herrera is at the team’s alternate site in Allentown and appears to be the next player to get a chance in center. Scott Kingery is also in Allentown, but he’s still working on his swing. The Morning Call reported Monday that Kingery is 1-for-26 at the alternate site with 12 strikeouts. Progress seems slow, and the Phillies won’t rush Kingery to the majors.

“I mean, we need more production out of the position — there’s no question about it,” Dombrowski said. “We haven’t gotten the offensive production we need. Right now, Mickey’s getting the opportunity.”

The Phillies have played 13 straight games without a hit from their starting center fielder. The starters are 2-for-45 this season after Moniak went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Monday. The team’s center fielders have the worst average and OPS in baseball at the position.

“No one is doing the job at that particular moment. You have to keep your mind open to what other opportunities are outside the organization,” Dombrowski said. “We haven’t reached that point yet. You always have your mind open to that. But you also have to make sure if you’re making moves that they’re going to be what you consider an upgrade to your situation.”

It could be difficult to find a trading partner during the season’s first month, especially for a center fielder of value. A move would be more likely in June or July. Until then, the Phillies have to hope that one of their options takes over in center.

“Hopefully, it’ll come from within at this point,” Dombrowski said. “If they don’t get going, we do have Herrera and we have Kingery at triple A, and we’ll see how they’re doing at that time.”

The Phillies could have promoted Herrera last week, but instead chose Moniak. Herrera was the last player trimmed in spring training, but was not the first one called up from the minor leagues. He could soon be on his way.

“We had a lot of conversation on it,” Dombrowski said. “We had just thought Moniak was playing a little bit better — now. But it’s one of those where we go back and forth on that conversation. We just thought that he’d have more of an opportunity, he’d be playing on a regular basis, somewhat, in Moniak’s case, for example we’re facing a lot of right-handers so he’d be playing more. That was really the reason. Herrera hadn’t really gotten going with the bat at the time. It’s almost day-to-day when you’re having those types of conversations, and at that time, the decision was toward Moniak.”

“He probably needs to relax a little bit, try to get settled,” Girardi said of Moniak. “His at-bats were probably a little more inconsistent at the alternate site than they are here, but it’s just him relaxing and trying to settle in and being Mickey Moniak. I’ve seen him chase maybe more than I did last year, and that was not the Mick we saw. So we’ve got to get him on track.”

The Phillies offense went quiet Monday night in the 2-0 loss to the Giants. Scott Lauber has all the details.

The Phillies entered three players and two more coaches into COVID-19 protocols. They would not say if pitchers Matt Moore and Jose Alvarado or utility player Ronald Torreyes tested positive for the coronavirus.

Kapler didn’t know what to expect Monday night from the crowd in his return to Philadelphia. He didn’t have to wait long to find out: He was booed before the first pitch.

Tonight: Zack Wheeler starts vs. the Giants, 7:05 p.m.

Tomorrow: Zach Eflin pitches the series finale, 1:05 p.m.

Thursday: The Phillies are off.

Friday: Phillies open three-game series in Colorado, 8:40 p.m.

Gabe Kapler became the first manager in major-league history to begin his career with an exactly .500 record after his first 400 games, according to Stats Inc. Kapler was 161-163 in two seasons with the Phillies, and Monday’s 2-0 win improved his mark with the Giants to 39-37 since being hired before last season.

Send questions by email or on Twitter @matt_breen.

Question: When will the Phillies be allowed to have more fans in the park? — Greg H. via email

Answer: Thanks, Greg. Good question. The Phillies announced Monday that tickets go on sale Tuesday morning for home games between May 18 and June 10. In that announcement, they said the ballpark is still limited to 25% capacity, which is 11,000 fans.