Phillies option Mickey Moniak to triple A and call up infielder Yairo Muñoz

Struggling Phillies center fielder Mickey Moniak was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley after Monday’s game. He batted .378/.378/.973 in spring training and earned a spot on the active roster for opening day, but Moniak has struggled in the regular season, batting .160/.250/.410 over 25 at-bats after missing almost two months with a fractured bone in his right hand.

Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson hopes more consistent at-bats will help the 24-year-old Moniak find his swing.

“We’re coming up in the next week, we’re going to get four left-handed pitchers,” Thomson said. “And with two left-handed center fielders, it’s a little bit of a struggle to get them all at-bats. Especially with Mickey, because he’s young, and he hasn’t really had everyday at-bats in the last little bit. So it’s kind of unfair to him, because it shows in his at-bats.

» READ MORE: To victory: Phillies savoring their wins with postgame toasts, led by Kyle Schwarber

“So we just want him to go down, get his swing back, start staying on the ball, using the field. He was pulling a little bit and he knows that, but Mickey is a big part of this club. I always talk about the energy that the kids bring, and he’s one of them. He always plays good defense, always runs the bases, always works hard, he’s a big part of this club now, and in the future. So we just want to get him on track.”

The tentative plan is for Odúbel Herrera and Matt Vierling to platoon in center field. Herrera is batting .300/.364/.600 over his last seven games.

» READ MORE: The numbers behind the struggles of the Phillies’ Nick Castellanos: ‘I haven’t been comfortable’

In a corresponding roster move, the Phillies selected the contract of infielder Yairo Muñoz from Lehigh Valley. Muñoz, 27, offers versatility — he can play three of the four infield positions and left field — as well as some right-handed pop. He was batting .319/.345/.454 with five home runs and 22 RBIs in 45 games with the IronPigs.

“He’s swinging the bat,” Thomson said of Muñoz. “I think he’s hitting close to .320. Had a couple of home runs, had a couple of stolen bases. He runs a lot better than you think. He’s playing good defense and he’s swinging the bat, and he’s right-handed, so that gives us some help, too.”