Gregory Soto impresses in Phillies debut; Mick Abel, Griff McGarry sent to minor league camp

CLEARWATER, Fla. — All-Star reliever Gregory Soto, who arrived in camp Thursday, made his first game appearance in a Phillies uniform in Sunday’s 8-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The left-hander, who was acquired in a January trade with Detroit, did not disappoint.

Soto was hitting 98-99 mph on his pitches. He threw 18, with 11 of them strikes, allowed one hit and had one strikeout in his lone inning. The Dominican’s arrival in camp was delayed by visa issues.

“Very good, seeing Soto for the first time in a game situation,” manager Rob Thomson said. “The velocity is there, the slider was good. It’s his first time out, so it was around the plate, but I think he has a little bit better control than that. But I think that’s reasonable being his first game seeing hitters.”

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The Phillies optioned right-hander McArthur to triple-A Lehigh Valley. They reassigned pitchers Mick Abel, Andrew Baker, Jon Duplantier, Griff McGarry, Francisco Morales and Billy Sullivan to minor league camp.

“Very impressive, all of them,” Thomson said of Abel, McGarry and McArthur. “Abel has got big-time stuff. He really does. And McGarry does, too. And one of things I mentioned to him is when he runs his stuff through the zone, he’s going to be really effective. And McArthur, now that he’s healthy, has really been impressive. We’ve got some big arms that are coming.”

The Phillies also announced they’ve optioned Johan Rojas to double A and fellow outfielders Jhailyn Ortiz and Simón Muzziotti to triple A.

Phillies backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, who is currently playing for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, hit a two-out, ground-rule double off Yankees reliever Jonathan Loáisiga with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth to lift Israel to a 3-1 victory over Team Nicaragua on Sunday in Miami.

The Phillies announced that they’ve come to terms with 22 pre-arbitration eligible players: Stubbs, Andrew Bellatti, Alec Bohm, Kody Clemens, Bailey Falter, Dalton Guthrie, Darick Hall, Rafael Marchán, Brandon Marsh, Yunior Marte, James McArthur, Muzziotti, Nick Nelson, Jhailyn Ortiz, Luis Ortiz, Michael Plassmeyer, Rojas, Cristopher Sánchez, Noah Song, Bryson Stott, Erich Uelmen, and Andrew Vasquez. The Phillies also announced that they’ve renewed the contract of reliever Connor Brogdon.

Thomson said there is no update on left-hander Ranger Suárez, who returned to camp from the WBC because of forearm tightness.