Phillies Sign Utilityman to One-Year Deal

Ahead of the lockout last night, the Philadelphia Phillies inked utilityman Johan Camargo to a one-year deal. The Phillies made room on the 40-man roster by designating pitcher Adonis Medina for assignment.

Camargo, two weeks out from his age-28 season, is a switch-hitter and can play all infield positions. For his career, he's spent the most time at third base with 170 games, 68 at shortstop, and 36 at second base.

In 780 plate appearances between 2017-18 with the Atlanta Braves, Camargo slashed .281/.343/.455 with 23 home runs, 103 RBI, 48 doubles, and 63 walks. Since 2019, though, he's posted just a .622 OPS in 393 plate appearances.

Camargo spent most of 2021 with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate. He hit .326 with a .958 OPS in 104 games with the Gwinnett Stripers before eventually finding his way onto the Braves' NLCS roster, but he went 0 for 4.

Either way, Camargo is a solid pick up for the Phillies' bench, as he provides sufficient defense, and is believed to be free agent Ronald Torreyes' successor in the role he fulfilled last season. 

This was the last move the Phillies made at the major league level ahead of the lockout last night. They, along with all major league teams, will now only be permitted to sign players to minor league contracts until an agreement is reached between the owners and MLBPA.

More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

• With Knebel, Have the Phillies Found Their Closer?
• Four Fringe Players Phillies Could Sign to Fill the Gaps
• How Did Baseball Wind Up Here? Everything to Know About the Lockout