The Phillies have released left-hander Kyle Dohy from his minor league contract, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. He will head back to the open market and look for opportunities elsewhere.
A 16th round pick of the Phils in 2017, the southpaw fared well enough in the lower minors to earn some attention from prospect evaluators. Baseball America ranked him the #15 prospect in the system in 2019, while FanGraphs placed him towards the back of their lists from 2019-2021.
However, as Dohy has reached the upper levels of the minors, he’s continually struggled with a lack of control. Last year, he threw 42 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.95 ERA. That came with an incredible 35.1% strikeout rate but a concerning 15.1% walk rate. The strikeout rate was tantalizing enough that he got the call to the majors late last year, though he got to throw just a single inning. At the end of the season, he was non-tendered and re-signed to a minor league deal.
This year, he’s thrown 17 innings in Triple-A with a 7.41 ERA. Control seems to be a factor again, as his walk rate is 16.9%, against a 28.1% strikeout rate. There’s surely some misfortune in there as well, given his .426 BABIP and 58.5% strand rate, but the Phillies have evidently seen enough to move on and give opportunities to other hurlers.
Despite those struggles, there are reasons to believe Dohy could attract the interest of other teams. He’s racked up incredible strikeout numbers everywhere he’s pitched, for one thing. He’s also still just 25 years old, perhaps giving some scouts hope that there’s still time to refine his skillset. He also has options and just nine days of MLB service time, meaning he could be a long-term play for a club looking to bolster its left-handed relief.
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