The Phillies have placed 41-year old lefty swinging 1B Jim Thome on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 29th due to a lower back strain. Thome has struggled at the plate so far this year. He has played in 12 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 2 for 18 (.111 avg, .349 OPS) without any runs scored, homers or RBIs. Thome has whiffed 10 times already this year as he appears to be having a rough time adjusting to his new role coming off the bench. The Phillies have called up 31-year old righty swinging catcher Erik Kratz to replace Thome on the active roster. Kratz has played in 14 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 15 for 51 (.294 avg, .882 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers and 9 RBIs. Kratz has played in 11 games in parts of two years in the majors and he is 6 for 40 (.150 avg, .365 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Kratz will serve as the Phillies’ #3 catcher and a pinch hitter.

The Phillies have placed 26-year old righty reliever David Herndon on the 15-day disabled list due to right elbow inflammation. Herndon has pitched in 5 games (0 starts) for the Phillies this year and he is 0-1 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Herndon has been quite a find for the Phillies since being picked in the 2009 Rule 5 Draft away from the Los Angeles Angels. Herndon has now pitched in 97 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Phillies and he is 2-8 with 1 save, a 3.85 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP.

24-year old righty starting pitcher Vance Worley has made the Phillies’ rotation into the Big Four. He has started 4 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Worley has whiffed 27 batters in his first 25 innings this year, which is pretty impressive. He has now pitched in 34 games (27 starts) in his first three years with the Phillies and he is 14-5 with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. The Phillies hope that Worley continues to roll.

The Phillies have placed 25-year old righty reliever Michael Stutes on the 15-day disabled list due to right shoulder inflammation. Stutes has pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Phillies so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 6.35 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP. The Phillies have called up 26-year old righty reliever Michael Schwimer to replace Stutes in the bullpen. Schwimer has pitched in 7 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 1-0 with 2 saves, a 1.04 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. He got his first taste of the majors last year with the Phillies when he appeared in 12 games (0 starts) in which he was 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. The Phillies hope that Schwimer is better for them this time around.

28-year old righty swinging OF/1B John Mayberry had a breakout year for the Phillies in 2011. He played in 104 games for the Phillies last year and he was 73 of 267 (.273 avg, .854 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 15 homers, 49 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. The Phillies had high hopes for Mayberry in 2012. Mayberry has played in 17 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 9 for 44 (.205 avg, .455 OPS) with 0 runs scored, 0 homers and 2 RBIs. He has been completely lost at the plate so far this year as he has whiffed 14 times without walking. The Phillies better hope that Mayberry gets into gear because the offense has been horrible so far this year.