Adam Haseley suddenly finds himself starting for Phillies, ready or not

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Series of unfortunate circumstances propel Haseley to the bigs

There has been no official announcement from manager Gabe Kapler, general manager Matt Klentak, or anyone else in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

But there is no other way to look at the present situation regarding the Phillies injury-depleted outfield. Against all odds, Adam Haseley has become the starting center fielder for a Philadelphia Phillies team that still hopes to contend for a National League East Division crown.

The center field position has been in flux for weeks. The year opened with Odubel Herrera beginning what appeared to be his fifth season as the everyday starter. At just 27 years old and with a contract that runs at least through the 2021 campaign, and with no other healthy candidates appearing ready in the organization, Herrera’s job appeared as secure as any on the team.

However, Herrera came up injured on April 17, just 17 games into the 2019 season. At that exact same time, the perennially injured Roman Quinn was ready to return to the team. Quinn immediately was inserted into the lineup in Herrera’s place.

As most anyone who has followed the team over the last few years could have predicted, Quinn didn’t last long. After just seven games, he came up injured once again. Scott Kingery, the super-utility player who the team believed was also capable of covering center field, also came down with his own injury issues.

This began a nearly two-week period in which the position was in flux. Andrew McCutchen was moved over from left field to cover center field most days. The problem there was that it left a hole in left field. Aaron Altherr‘s game had completely fallen apart, to the point where he was released. Nick Williams wasn’t hitting at all, and would eventually find himself shipped back to Triple-A.

Herrera finally returned from the Injured List on May 4, but he did not produce. Over 22 games and 70 plate appearances during the month of May, Herrera slashed just .175/.257/.302 with no homers, nine RBIs, and five runs scored. He was proving a black hole in the batting order.

And then it really began to completely unravel. Just over a week ago as the club returned home from a tough road trip, Herrera was arrested following a domestic assault incident at an Atlantic City casino hotel. He is now being investigated by Major League Baseball, and his career with the Phillies may be over.

Local product Phil Gosselin proving invaluable off Phillies bench

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Phil Gosselin grew up as a Phillies fan, now plays for the team

Though the Philadelphia Phillies hold a three-game lead (four in the loss column) in the National League East Division standings, there have been weak links in the squad keeping the club from extending their lead even wider.

One of those areas has been a less-than-imposing group of bench players who have collectively produced a mixed bag of results when called upon. Six players have received the bulk of the work in that reserve role, with a few of them seeing starting opportunities when injuries have struck.

The six players making up the Phillies bench for the majority of the season have been backup catcher Andrew Knapp, outfielders Nick Williams and Aaron Altherr (the latter recently DFA’d), and utility players Scott Kingery (currently injured), Sean Rodriguez, and Phil Gosselin.

Prior to suffering his injury the 25-year-old Kingery was on fire and pushing for increased playing time. However, he has been on the Injured List since April 20. The Phillies are hoping that he can begin a minor league rehab stint on Monday and return to the team in short order.

Also producing well has been the veteran Rodriguez, who was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley when starting shortstop Jean Segura was placed on the IL in late April.

Altherr was slashing just .180/.241/.280 prior to his release. Williams is slashing just .180/.241/.280 over 54 plate appearances across 32 games, just nine of those as a starter. Knapp is slashing .172/.333/.241 over 19 games, five of those as the starter behind the plate to give J.T. Realmuto a rest.

A feel-good story off the bench for the Phillies has been the 30-year-old veteran Gosselin, now in his seventh big-league season. The Phillies are Gosselin’s seventh team over the course of his career in Major League Baseball. He previously has seen action with the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, and Cincinnati Reds.

Part of what makes Gosselin’s story attractive to Phillies fans is that he is a local product. He was born Bryn Mawr, grew up in West Chester, and is a graduate of Malvern Prep High School for whom he played shortstop.

Gosselin went to the University of Virginia and enjoyed a highly successful collegiate career, setting the Cavaliers school record with 100 hits in the 2009 season. That helped earn him first-team All-ACC and third-team All-American honors. He was then selected by the Braves in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft.

Which Odubel Herrera will return to the Phillies?

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Odubel Herrera's performance is important to Phillies success

During a 3-2 victory over the division-rival New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on April 17, Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera came away limping after tracking down a 5th inning fly ball in left-center field.

As it turns out, Herrera had strained his right hamstring. He would leave the contest, be placed on the Injured List, and miss the next 14 games. The man who would replace him, Roman Quinn, was activated from the IL the very next day following a minor league rehab stint for his own oblique injury.

The Phillies would drop six of their next eight games. Quinn would start in center field for the first seven of those, slashing an anemic .120/.185/.120 with no extra-base hits and just one run scored. The normally electric speedster would swipe no bases before going down with his own groin strain.

From April 25, the first game that Quinn missed, through Herrera’s return to the starting lineup for Sunday’s victory over the Washington Nationals, manager Gabe Kapler started Aaron Altherr in center field once and then Andrew McCutchen for seven straight games.

When he signed with the Phillies as a free agent back in December, it was to become the starting left fielder. But McCutchen made it clear that he would play wherever the team needed him. Scott Lauber of Philly.com quoted McCutchen, who won a 2012 NL Gold Glove while playing center for the Pittsburgh Pirates, earlier this week:

“I’m always going to view myself as a center fielder even when I’m not playing there. When I retire, I’m going to retire as a center fielder. I may not be playing there. I may be in right, or left, or whatever. But I’m always going to say, ‘I’m a center fielder.'”

The Phillies gave center field to the previously dynamic Roman Quinn, but he failed to produce and then got hurt yet again. (Ian D’Andrea)

The Phillies would win five of the first six games they played with McCutchen in center field, a streak broken only by Saturday’s night’s 8th inning bullpen implosion. That night, Herrera pinch-hit and stayed in the game to play center, with McCutchen moving back to left field.

In Sunday’s 7-1 victory over the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park, Herrera returned to the starting lineup as the center fielder with McCutchen in left. Batting in the 5th spot of Kapler’s order, Herrera went 0-4 with three strikeouts, making him 0-6 overall since being activated.

Aaron Altherr's days with Phillies come to an end

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Altherr's performance has deteriorated in 2019

The Philadelphia Phillies activated center fielder Odubel Herrera from the Injured List on Saturday. As a corresponding move the club has decided that Aaron Altherr will be designated for assignment.

With the move, Altherr has been officially removed from the Phillies 40-man roster. This “DFA” move means that the club now has a number of potential outcomes involving the 28-year-old outfielder.

Altherr will now pass through waivers with the potential to be claimed by any team. Should a team make such a claim, Altherr could be pulled back and kept by the Phillies. That is not a likely scenario. Should a team claim him, the Phillies will likely just let Altherr move on.

The Phillies could also work out a trade with any claiming team rather than pull him back. That is not likely, as Altherr’s value is fairly low at this point. Finally, Altherr could pass through waivers without any team claiming him. In that scenario he would become a free agent and could negotiate with any club.

Born in Germany, Altherr was the Phillies pick in the 9th round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft out of an Arizona high school. He reached the big-leagues in 2014, and by 2017 was taking a regular turn as a corner outfielder for the club. In what was by far his best season that year, Altherr slashed .272/.340/.516 with 19 homers, 65 RBIs, and 48 extra-base hits.

Injuries and a lack of production when he was available derailed Altherr’s career in the 2018 season. With the signings of free agents Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen, his role for the 2019 season was to be as a bench player.

With the athletic ability to cover all three outfield positions and some pop in his bat, it was hoped that Altherr would prove to be a valuable piece of the new Phillies bench puzzle, but that has not been the case. He was slashing a microscopic .034/.067/.136 this season with just one extra-base hit and one RBI over 30 plate appearances across 22 games.

“We wish Aaron well and believe this is what’s best for him and, obviously, the Phillies,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “We think he can still be a productive player. Just the situation here with us, it was very difficult for him to even get on the field, even to the point of having difficulty finding him pinch-hit at-bats…”

Phillies need to play Nick Williams regularly or send him to the minors

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Nick Williams has been wasting away on the Phillies bench

The Philadelphia Phillies did much over the last off-season to upgrade their starting lineup and overall roster. All of the free agent signings and trades have been covered here many times. But a pair of moves and the way in which the club has chosen to handle their fallout seems highly questionable.

On December 12, 2018 the Phillies signed free agent outfielder Andrew McCutchen with the stated purpose of playing him every day as the starting left fielder. The 32-year-old McCutchen is a former National League Most Valuable Player and perennial All-Star who was given a three-year deal taking him through the 2021 season with a team option for the 2022 campaign.

Then on March 2, 2019 the Phillies made the big move which was anticipated for the entire off-season when they signed 26-year-old Bryce Harper to a free agent contract. The massive 13-year deal made another former National League Most Valuable Player and perennial All-Star the everyday right fielder for the foreseeable future.

The bottom-line result of these two signings is that, given health, the corner outfield positions are locked up in the Phillies lineup for the next three seasons, possibly more. Primarily affected by the moves were the present and future of incumbent outfielders Nick Williams and Aaron Altherr.

The signings are not as damaging to Altherr for a few reasons. The two biggest are that his upside potential is not as great as Williams. And he also has the athletic ability and experience to play center field, meaning Altherr provides some value to the Phillies on the bench as a player who can cover the entire outfield as a defensive substitute.

For the 25-year-old Williams, however, the signings of the two veterans clearly threw up a roadblock to his playing time with the Phillies. The club was faced with a choice as the 2019 season opened: keep Williams for their bench at the big-league level or send him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to play every day.

The Phillies brain trust made the decision to keep Williams. It was the wrong choice. To this point in the season, a player who still has the potential to become a starter in Major League Baseball is wasting away.

Williams has received just 21 plate appearances scattered across 20 games. He has not started a single game and has appeared in the field just twice. The second of those came in Tuesday night’s 9-0 drubbing at the hands of the New York Mets.

If the Phillies want to contend in 2019 then improvements to their bench will be needed

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Nick Williams and the Phillies 2019 bench have not produced early

This is no “woe is us” tale, nor will it be a “the sky is falling” story about how it is all going to come crashing down on the National League East Division-leading Philadelphia Phillies.

But as I pointed out in my Monday piece on three looming lineup and roster issues, the team’s bench players have not been producing to this point.

Over the first nine games, manager Gabe Kapler has used the exact same starting lineup of position players seven times. He gave catcher J.T. Realmuto a rest last Saturday with Andrew Knapp getting the start behind the plate. Then in Monday’s series opener against the Nationals, Kapler started Scott Kingery over Cesar Hernandez at second base.

Nick Williams has been the primary left-handed bat off the bench. He has appeared in eight of the nine games, all as a pinch-hitter. Williams is just 1-8 with the lone hit an RBI single during last Wednesday’s loss in Washington.

Aaron Altherr has appeared in six games, with all of his appearances also as a pinch-hitter. Altherr is off to a 1-6 start and contributed an RBI single during last Friday’s victory over Minnesota.

Kingery registered his first two hits of the season in Monday’s starting opportunity. Prior to that he was 1-4 while coming off the bench with a walk and a run scored. Three of his four previous appearances had come as a pinch-hitter. He also came in as part of a double-switch, replacing Hernandez during the loss in D.C. last week.

Andrew Knapp received one start behind the plate and is going to be counted on to spell J.T. Realmuto a couple of dozen times.

Knapp was just 0-2 in a pair of pinch-hitting appearances prior to his lone start in which he went 1-2 this past weekend. In that game, Realmuto came on as a pinch-hitter and stayed in to catch, going 0-2. Hernandez did not see action in Monday’s game.

So with the single starts for both Kingery and Knapp out of the equation and Realmuto’s relief effort factored in, the Phillies bench has been a collective 3-22 for a collective .136 batting average, two RBI, and one run scored. They have no extra-base hits to this point.

There is hope that the dynamic Roman Quinn will be able to return from his latest injury in the coming days. But even with his addition the bench may require some upgrading if the Phillies truly hope to extend their hot start over a full season of contention.

Some big decisions coming for hot-starting Phillies

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Roman Quinn (R) is nearly set to re-join the Phillies party

The Philadephia Phillies (6-2) are off to a hot start. Entering the second full week of the 2019 regular season they hold a half-game lead in the National League East Division with the rival Washington Nationals (4-4) coming in for a three-game visit to Citizens Bank Park.

One of the signatures of the team to this point has been the early season starting lineup consistency. Over the first half-dozen games, manager Gabe Kapler has made just one change. This past Saturday he gave catcher J.T. Realmuto a day off, starting Andrew Knapp in his place and sliding the bottom of the batting order around slightly.

The formula has worked. The Phillies are not only winning, but even after Sunday’s 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins they still rank fourth in all of Major League Baseball in runs scored per game.

Three situations are beginning to emerge as we move towards the middle of April. Kapler in crafting his lineup and general manager Matt Klentak in helping make broader roster moves are going to have some interesting decisions to make in the coming days involving the bench, second base, and the bullpen.

THE BENCH

To this point the Phillies have used four players off their bench. Knapp (3), Nick Williams (7), Aaron Altherr (5) and Scott Kingery (4) have all appeared in various roles as pinch-hitters or defensive replacements. Knapp is the only one of the group to get a start.

Those four players have not produced on a regular basis. Collectively they have three hits over 20 at-bats for a .150 average with one walk. The group has produced two RBI and scored one run.

The dynamic but chronically injury-prone Roman Quinn is nearly set to return from his latest physical ailment. Quinn can play all three outfield positions well, has a solid bat and has game-changing speed. When he is ready, likely within the next week, the Phillies will surely activate him. He has no minor league options remaining and would absolutely be claimed by another team, so he will be with the big club.

Dylan Cozens heats up early under the Florida sun in big-league bid

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Dylan Cozens needs to cut down his strikeouts to stay in MLB

The Philadelphia Phillies have made significant improvements to their overall roster for the 2019 season. Two of those upgrades came in the starting outfield, where former NL MVP’s Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper now hold down the left and right field corners respectively.

Center field was supposed to feature an open competition between Odubel Herrera and Roman Quinn. Injuries to both players have left the position a bit of a question mark. It is expected that Herrera will be available sooner, and for now he appears to be the odds-on favorite to open the season starting between McCutchen and Harper.

That would seem to leave a pair of returnees, Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams, as likely bench performers. The 25-year-old Williams saw 448 plate appearances across 140 games as the starting right fielder a year ago. It was just two years ago that the now 28-year-old Altherr made 92 starts in the outfield.

With just over three weeks remaining in Grapefruit League action down in Florida, much could still change for the Phillies. Injuries and even further trades by the front office could alter the player mix before the club heads north for the season opener on March 28 at Citizens Bank Park.

Another factor in determining which players make the Opening Day roster will be performance here at spring training. That is where 24-year-old Dylan Cozens comes into the picture. After receiving his first cup of coffee in the big-leagues during the 2018 season, Cozens is hoping to force his way into the mix down in Clearwater.

Last season, Cozens appeared in the first 26 games of his Major League Baseball career. He played in 14 games split between the two corner outfield positions with the Phillies, getting eight starting opportunities. Over 44 plate appearances he slashed .158/.273/.289 with three extra-base hits and one stolen base.

On June 6 at Wrigley Field against the host Chicago Cubs, Cozens blasted his first career big-league home run. In the top of the 9th with the score tied at 3-3 and facing closer Brandon Morrow, Cozens ripped a 2-1 pitch out deep on a line to left field for a two-run blast to put the Phillies on top.

During his seven-year minor league career after being drafted by the Phillies in the second round back in 2012, Cozens had developed as a major power-speed force, drilling 126 home runs and swiping 100 bags.

Who will play center field for Phillies between McCutchen and Harper?

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On right deal, veteran Adam Jones could help Phillies in center field

With the addition of a pair of major free agents this off-season, the Philadelphia Phillies have significantly upgraded themselves at the corner outfield positions.

Andrew McCutchen will take over in left field and Bryce Harper in right field. Both of those men have been the National League Most Valuable Player in the past, McCutchen in 2013, Harper in 2015.

Another thing that adding two new players to the everyday lineup does is push aside incumbent players. In left field, that issue is resolved with Rhys Hoskins moving back to first base following the trade of Carlos Santana.

But now with two new starting outfielders the pressure this spring will grow on the other incumbents. Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr, Odubel Herrera and Roman Quinn will likely at some point find themselves battling for a job with the Phillies. At least one of those players could end up being traded away.

I say “at some point” because right now the conversation is a bit moot. Both Herrera and Quinn are injured and it is unknown how long either will be out. Also pushing for a job on the Phillies bench will be 24-year-old Dylan Cozens.

Were everyone healthy then the odd-man out would most likely be Williams. That is only because he may be the most talented of the group. The 25-year-old stroked 17 home runs a year ago in his second big-league campaign. There are likely a number of teams who would see him as a starting right fielder with upside potential.

Herrera and Quinn were set to battle for the starting job in center field. Should either get back to the Grapefruit League lineup before the other and produce, they would clearly take the lead. Should neither return by the start of the regular season one month from now, Altherr likely steps into the starting role temporarily.

Altherr may be the best fit of the bunch for a regular bench role. The 28-year-old has experience in parts of five big-league seasons with the Phillies. He demonstrated his power potential by blasting 19 homers during his best season back in 2017. He is also athletic enough that he can play all three outfield positions. Last year, Altherr appeared in 68 games in left field, 11 in center field, and another half-dozen in right field.

The Phillies lose Roman Quinn to injury once again

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Perennially injured outfielder Roman Quinn goes down again

This is not a repeat. Roman Quinn is injured. The Phillies outfielder has suffered what has been called a mild right oblique strain, will have an MRI on Thursday, and will miss an undetermined amount of time.

An oblique injury is potentially debilitating for a baseball player as this core muscle is activated during both hitting and throwing. Should the MRI reveal a mild strain, Quinn could return to action after the weekend. If severe, we could be talking about months.

“He’s very disappointed, and I’m disappointed for him,” said Phillies manager Gabe Kapler per Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic.

Kapler and Quinn are not the only two individuals now disappointed with this latest development. All of Phillies Nation is rightfully disappointed. The 25-year-old had a real opportunity with fellow outfielder Odubel Herrera also lost to injury to take a clear lead in the battle for the 2019 Phillies starting center field job.

Drafted in the second round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft by the Phillies out of a Florida high school as the 66th player chosen overall, Quinn was ranked by MLB Pipeline as a Top 10 Phillies prospect every year from 2013-16.

Over parts of seven minor league seasons, Quinn hit .278 with a .353 on-base percentage and 183 stolen bases over 429 games. He has appeared in 65 games with the Phillies split between the 2016 and 2018 seasons, hitting .266 with a .340 OBP, 15 steals and 23 runs scored.

Quinn’s dynamic impact at the top of the Phillies lineup when healthy has been undeniable. It was just last August in an interview with the local Philly SportsRadio 94 WIP morning showthat Kapler said that Quinn was “as talented and physically gifted as anyone on our roster.”

But that entire “when healthy” part has become the more relevant when evaluating his potential contributions. The fact is that the team simply cannot rely on Quinn remaining healthy for any length of time. Certainly not enough to depend on him as a starting option.

Meghan Montemurro

✔@M_Montemurro

Quinn said he was actually getting the MRI at 12:30 today. "I’ve lost the words. ... I do pretty much everything that I possibly can to play this game and go out there and play. I keep having setback after setback after setback. It’s frustrating, man. It’s really frustrating."

Meghan Montemurro

✔@M_Montemurro

Roman Quinn has a mild right oblique strain. MRI tomorrow. He hurt it yesterday taking BP in the cage in Tampa. Hopeful that it’s not serious but will know more after the scan. Kapler: “He’s very disappointed, and I’m disappointed for him.” #Phillies

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Future murky for Aaron Altherr entering the 2019 season

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Aaron Altherr's future role with Phillies is up-in-the-air entering 2019

Fans of the Philadelphia Phillies have been focused on potential changes to the starting lineup for the 2019 season for obvious reasons. A team that hopes to become a contender had problems both producing runs and playing defense a year ago, yet battled for the division lead into September.

The club began to make improvents in the outfield with the December free agent signing of veteran Andrew McCutchen. Slotting the 32-year-old former National League Most Valuable Player into left field allowed the Phillies to switch Rhys Hoskins back to his more comfortable position at first base.

The specter of Bryce Harper also continues to hang over the incumbent outfielder mix. If the Phillies are successful in their pursuit of the free agent superstar, he and ‘Cutch’ would be everyday starters on the outfield corners for the Phillies for the next three years, the length of McCutchen’s contract.

Whether the team actually lands Harper or not, this is going to be a pivotal season at the start of a defining period in the career of one of those outfielders, Aaron Altherr.

Signed for the upcoming 2019 campaign at $1.35 million, Altherr cannot become a free agent until after the 2021 season. Unless he is traded or released, he is going to be with the Phillies for the next three years. Having turned 28-years-old last month, Altherr is due to be with the Phillies through what will be the prime years of his career.

Though he only actually lived there for the first six months of his life, Altherr is one of the few European-born players in Major League Baseball. He was born in Landstuhl, Germany to a mother serving in the U.S. Air Force and a father who was a professional soccer player.

The Phillies selected Altherr as an 18-year-old in the ninth round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft out of an Arizona high school. Following the 2010 season he was ranked among the Phillies top ten prospects by Baseball America.

Altherr spent the next three years rising incrementally through the Phillies farm system, spending the entire 2012 season with Low-A Lakewood and the entirety of 2013 with High-A Clearwater.

By the time he arrived at Double-A Reading for the 2014 season the big-league Phillies were still trying to transition from the popular, successful core group of players who had been consistent winners in the previous decade.

Altherr didn’t have a great year at Reading, slashing just .236/.287/.399 over 120 games. But his 14 homers, 43 extra-base hits, 12 stolen bases and solid play in center field demonstrated athleticism that the team’s decision-makers at the time saw as potentially valuable.

That summer, Altherr received his first looks at life in the Majors when he appeared in two games. On June 16 in Atlanta he was called on to pinch-hit for reliever Mario Hollands in the top of the 12th inning of a 1-1 tie with the host Braves. His first big-league plate appearance saw Altherr face right-hander Anthony Valvaro and resulted in his making the final out of the inning by flying out to center field.

How might Phillies be affected if the DH comes to the National League?

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Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton homers in Game Four of the 2008 World Series

It’s an idea that has been discussed for at least the last four-and-a-half decades in Major League Baseball. And yesterday that idea of a “universal DH” again arose and spread quickly in discussions across the baseball landscape.

The DH or “Designated Hitter” is not a new concept, nor did the idea begin with its official introduction to the rules of the American League for the 1973 season. The idea of allowing the pitcher to have someone more proficient take their place in the batting order traces back to the earliest days of organized baseball.

As far back as February 3, 1906 the weekly newspaper “Sporting Life” printed the following: “The suggestion, often made, that the pitcher be denied a chance to bat, and a substitute player sent up to hit every time, has been brought to life again, and will come up for consideration when the American and National League Committees on rules get together. This time Connie Mack is credited with having made the suggestion.”

Mack’s suggestion did not gain traction with that rules committee, the press who covered the game, or the general public at that time. But it was an idea that cropped up from time to time. Finally, the pitching dominance experienced in the game as the 1960’s unfolded became impetus for conversations regarding the idea to spark once again.

For the 1969 season, Minor League Baseball began a four-year trial usage of the DH for their games. This led to the American League owners approving in an 8-4 vote the trial use of the DH for three years starting with the 1973 season. It has remained a part of the AL game ever since.

On August 13, 1980 the National League owners held a vote to consider adopting the DH, a measure that was actually expected to pass. With a majority of the 12 NL owners at the time needed to approve, the final vote tally went five against, four in favor, and three abstentions. There has not been another vote for a National League DH since that attempt.

Though the Designated Hitter is used by most other professional leagues around the world, Major League Baseball is not the only place that you will find such a split usage. Japan’s two largest leagues also have a split. The Central League does not utilize the DH, while the Pacific League has used it since the 1975 season.

Yesterday, the issue of a National League DH in Major League Baseball again exploded across social media following the release of an article by MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

In his piece on negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA, the player’s union, regarding possible rules changes, Rosenthal wrote:

“A universal designated hitter — something the players have sought for more than three decades, according to commissioner Rob Manfred — also was part of the union’s proposal. Under the plan, the National League would adopt the DH for the 2019 season.“