Phillies sign former Marlins All-Star RHP Henderson Alvarez to minor league deal

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Newly-signed minor league Philadelphia Phillies RHP Henderson Alvarez is 1-0 with a 2.29 ERA in three career starts at Citizens Bank Park. (Globovisión/Flickr Creative Commons)

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies have signed former Miami Marlins All-Star RHP Henderson Alvarez to a minor-league deal. Alvarez, 27, will report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and could earn up to $750,000 if he reaches the majors this season, according to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman.

Alvarez signs a minor league pact with the Phillies after going 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA in 32 innings this season with the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball's Long Island Ducks. Over these seven starts, Alvarez surrendered 14 runs (11 earned) on 34 hits, 14 walks, 13 strikeouts, while peaking out at 98 miles per hour.


Henderson


Alvarez went 17-17 with a 3.23 ERA in three seasons with the Marlins from 2013-2015. On Sept. 29, 2013 during the final day of the regular season, Alvarez pitched the first no-hitter in Marlins Park history and the fifth no-hitter in Marlins' franchise history.

The right-hander was named an All-Star in 2014 and went on to finish 12th in the National League Cy Young Award race. Alvarez tied with Detroit Tigers RHP Rick Porcello and St. Louis Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright for the most shutouts in the majors that season with three.

Alvarez went 10-17 with a 4.52 ERA in two seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2011-2012. He was dealt with Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria and others to South Beach as part of the 12-player blockbuster transaction in Nov. 2012.




The Phillies' signing comes the same day of their announcement that RHP Vince Velasquez will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a clogging blood flow issue with his right middle finger. Right-hander Yacksel Rios, 24, was promoted to fill the roster void. 

Alvarez, native to Venezuela, has not seen action in the majors since 2015. Alvarez underwent two procedures in Sept. 2016 for bicep tenodesis and an "excision of a bony exostosis in his shoulder," per Susan Slusser. Alvarez went 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts within the Oakland Athletics' minor league system last season.

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