Tommy Pham is on the move again.
The Philadelphia Phillies are trading Pham, a 13-year MLB veteran who was playing for the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate, to the Chicago White Sox, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The return heading to Philadelphia is not yet known.
Pham, 38, was slashing .250/.381/.391 in 44 games for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies’ top farm team. The White Sox will be his fourth organization this season, following stints with the Phillies, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles.
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Although the deadline to trade major-league players passed on Aug. 3, the Phillies can trade Pham because he was signed to a minor-league contract.
However, if Pham was traded after Sept. 1, he would not be eligible to play for his new team in the postseason. That makes Aug. 31 somewhat of a critical deadline for talented players on minor-league deals to find a team for the remainder of MLB’s regular season.
Earlier Monday, the Baltimore Orioles claimed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. from the New York Mets. Other transactions could follow before the day is done.
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Pham makes return to South Side
Pham is no stranger to the White Sox organization. He played 70 games for them in 2024, enjoying modest success at the plate (.710 OPS) for a then-rebuilding team. Although he couldn’t crack the Phillies’ major-league outfield rotation, there’s a chance he can boost a young White Sox team looking to clinch its first postseason berth since 2021.
The White Sox outfield is heavy on left-handers, with left fielder Sam Antonacci, Tristan Peters and switch-hitter Colson Montgomery getting the lion’s share of at-bats. Pham offers a degree of insurance in case of an injury to right-handed hitting outfielders Randal Grichuk or Brenton Doyle.
Through Sunday, Chicago (72-64) led the second-place Cleveland Guardians by 3.5 games in the American League Central.
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