Phillies news and rumors 5/14: Club signs former first-round pick to minor league deal

The Phillies signed former first-rounder Seth Beer to a minor-league contract on Tuesday. Beer will report to Double-A Reading.

Beer was a first-round pick by Houston in 2018 and went to Arizona in the 2019 Zack Greinke trade. He had a .586 OPS across two seasons, mostly 2022, with the Diamondbacks.

He was playing for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League until Tuesday, posting a .991 OPS (though a .239 batting average). He hasn’t played anywhere except first base or designated hitter, at any level, since the start of the pandemic.

The path to the major leagues is narrow, and that’s probably being generous. But he could be of some help to Reading. Beer will be cellared in the Eastern League Northeast Division with the 9-21 Fightin Phils.

Beer hit a walk-off home run for the Diamondbacks on Opening Day of the 2022 season (off Robert Suárez, of Bedlam at the Bank fame). It was April 7 — National Beer Day.