Darick Hall gets the Phillies call he’s been waiting for

The Phillies have returned Darick Hall to their ranks and he's eager to stay there.

Phillies first baseman Darick Hall meets with his teammates during player introductions in the April 2023 home opener.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Published July 2, 2023, 2:59 p.m. ET

In the third inning of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs’ game against the Rochester Red Wings on Friday, manager Anthony Contreras walked over to Darick Hall in the dugout. Hall wasn’t playing that night, which was fortunate, because he had to pack his bags for Philadelphia.

The Phillies were calling him back up.

“I just got a huge adrenaline rush,” Hall said. “Because it was kind of unexpected. AC came over and told me and it was just butterflies. I was really excited to get back. It just hit me — that whole thing we went through, I felt like I went through it the right way. And I think that’s what helped me get back to this point.”

When Hall injured his right thumb in a game at Yankee Stadium on April 5, he could have sulked. He had just made the Phillies’ opening day roster for the first time in his career, and he was able to enjoy it for about a week. Instead of playing first base, he was headed to the operating room.

But instead of sulking, he decided to focus on his rehab. He didn’t pay much attention to what the Phillies were doing on the big-league side. He wanted to be fully present in where he was. He took pride in his thumb exercises, his rehab running, his hitting — even when his swing didn’t feel the way it used to.

For the past few weeks or so, it has felt the way it used to. Since June 22, Hall has hit .464/.515/.679 with a 1.194 OPS and one home run for Lehigh Valley. He’s hit well against righties and lefties, and the pain in his right thumb is all but gone.

About 10 days ago, manager Rob Thomson asked Contreras how Hall was coming along. Contreras told him he was “getting there, but wasn’t quite there.”

A few days ago, it was a different story.

“He said he was good to go,” Thomson said.

This comes at a good time for the Phillies, who are in sore need of a power bat. Thomson said Hall gets everyday playing time against righties, and occasional playing time against lefties. Last season, Hall was called up when Bryce Harper injured his thumb in June. They haven’t spent much time together on the roster, because they profile similarly, but Thomson said it is possible the Phillies find a way to fit them both.

To make room for Hall on the 26-man roster, infielder Kody Clemens was optioned to triple A. Clemens had cooled off lately, hitting .152/.188/.217 over his last 15 games. He was primarily used at first base but was acquired this offseason for versatility. The Phillies plan to have him play second base, third base, and maybe some left field when he is in Lehigh Valley.

This would create some flexibility whenever Harper is able to play first base, which should open the DH spot for Kyle Schwarber — and in theory, open up a spot in left field for Clemens, assuming all goes well.

“I thought he did a great job,” Thomson said of Clemens. “Played really well defensively, had some big hits for us, I know he slowed down a little bit lately but we want him to go down there and play different positions — second, third, maybe a little left field — and just be ready to go. He’s a pro, he’s a great teammate and a good player.”

Extra bases

Seranthony Domínguez (left oblique strain) threw a bullpen session before Sunday’s game. … Noah Song (low back strain) threw an inning for single-A Clearwater on Saturday night. He allowed one hit, one run (earned), and two walks with one strikeout. He threw 17 pitches, seven of them strikes. … If the next few days go well, Andrew Painter will face hitters on Tuesday in Clearwater.