In 2019, \u00d3scar Mercado staked his claim as franchise cornerstone for the Cleveland Guardians. While Cleveland ended up missing out on the postseason that year, Mercado made an impact with his glove, legs and bat and ended up finishing in eighth in that year\u2019s American League Rookie of the Year voting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It seemed like he was going to be a mainstay in the outfield for years to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That never came to fruition<\/a>, however, as he struggled through the truncated 2020 season and was eventually designated for assignment by the Guardians less than two years later.\u00a0<\/p>\n His career has gone down a winding and twisting path since, and it gained another twist earlier this week when he signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies<\/a>, marking a return to the first franchise he played for after he left Cleveland.\u00a0<\/p>\n Former Guardian \u00d3scar Mercado is going to be a depth outfielder for the Phillies in 2026\u00a0<\/p>\n Mercado had previously been in camp with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he hit .242 with three RBI and three doubles in 12 games. <\/p>\n Arizona released him as they worked on cutting down their roster ahead of Opening Day and he quickly found a new home with the Phillies, where he\u2019ll likely start the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019ll be a homecoming for Mercado, who spent all of season at Lehigh Valley and posted a .249\/.369\/.373 slashline with 11 home runs, 64 RBI and an eye-popping 40 steals.<\/p>\n Those stats are about in line with how he performed in his rookie year with Cleveland, as he had an impressive .269\/.318\/.443 slashline with 15 home runs, 54 RBI and 15 steals.\u00a0<\/p>\n But he eventually got lapped in the outfield and was sent off the roster in June<\/a>, where he landed with the Phillies for the first time. He played in one MLB game with the Phillies that season (and struck out in his only at-bat) before playing in 20 big league games with the Cardinals in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n That time with the Cardinals is the last big league action he\u2019s seen, as he spent 2024 in the Padres and Tigers\u2019 system before his aforementioned stint in Triple-A with the Phillies last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n