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Phillies add two pitchers from the Rays to their 40-man roster

The Phillies claimed left-hander Josh Fleming off waivers, then traded for righty Michael Mercado.

The Phillies claimed lefty Josh Fleming off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Phillies claimed lefty Josh Fleming off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays.Read moreChris O'Meara / AP

In an effort to improve their pitching depth, the Phillies on Monday picked up two arms from one of the deepest stockpiles around: the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Phillies claimed left-hander Josh Fleming off waivers, then traded for righty Michael Mercado. Both were added to the 40-man roster, with pitchers Michael Plassmeyer and Erich Uelmen getting outrighted to triple-A Lehigh Valley.

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Fleming, 27, has a 4.88 ERA in 55 major league appearances, including 22 starts, since 2020. He has had more success as a reliever (3.73 ERA), although he did shut out the Phillies for six innings in the finale of the shortened 2020 season.

Mercado, 24, posted a 4.79 ERA in 52 appearances between double A and triple A. Like Fleming, he was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2017, when Phillies assistant Ani Kilambi worked for the Rays.