Phillies’ Mickey Moniak taking ‘light swings’ and throwing; Connor Brogdon’s velocity ticking up

Phillies manager Joe Girardi said Thursday his team feels a sense of urgency every day — and a sense of disappointment after every loss — but the Phillies had to be feeling a double dose of those emotions after being swept by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday and Wednesday.

They’ve been hitting the ball hard, but those balls haven’t been falling for hits. Now, the Phillies face a daunting stretch in which they’ll play the Mets, Mariners, Dodgers, Padres, Dodgers again, Braves, and the Mets again.

Girardi said his team plans to keep going about its work and keep playing its game, but an injection of energy wouldn’t be the worst thing. The Phillies could have a few players coming in who might be able to provide the spark they need.

Outfielder Mickey Moniak, who was hit in the hand with a pitch in his last spring training at-bat, had an X-ray recently that showed his right hand fracture is healing. It’s not fully healed yet, so Moniak has just been swinging off of a tee, but he’s moving in the right direction.

“He’s getting close to the four-week mark,” Girardi said. “It’s definitely healing. It’s pretty close. He’s doing light swings with a short bat. He’s throwing. He’s doing a lot more. I don’t have an exact date on a rehab yet, but he’ll start doing a lot more next week.”

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If Moniak could be any iteration of what he was throughout spring training, he’ll be a huge help. The center fielder batted .378/.378/.973 over 15 games, with an 1.351 OPS. Whether Girardi would start him regularly is up for debate; when asked about that recently, Girardi said he would hold off on making a decision between Moniak and Odúbel Herrera.

Moniak has two options, so it’s possible the Phillies could send him to triple-A Lehigh Valley and see how he fares there before calling him back up.

Another Phillies player who could be making a return to the big leagues soon is reliever Connor Brogdon. Brogdon, who didn’t ramp up the way he normally would because of the lockout, has been pitching at triple-A Lehigh Valley to try to get his velocity back up. He has allowed only one hit in his five outings there, and Girardi said the team has been pleased with his progress.

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“His velocity ticked up a little bit the other day,” Girardi said. “I think as the weather gets a little warmer here, we’re going to see more from him.

“(We) just (need to see) him being the pitcher we’ve seen in the past, is what’s really important. We’ve seen 96-98s, executing his changeup really well. I mean, I think that’s what’s part of it. His changeup wasn’t the changeup we’ve seen in the past. But I think it’s making strides. I think he’s getting better, and I think he’s getting closer.”

Left-handed reliever Jonathan Hennigan has been in the Phillies organization since 2016 but never rose to triple-A until this year. He had a rough 2021 season, following the canceled 2020 minor league season, posting a 7.04 ERA in 38⅓ innings pitched. But Hennigan is throwing with confidence in 2022, posting a 2.84 ERA in 12⅔ innings of work with 10 strikeouts.

He’s throwing more strikes than he has any point in his career and is inducing more ground balls with his sinker. If Hennigan keeps pitching the way he has been lately, he might be able to help the Phillies down the road.