Phillies reportedly add left-handed starter Tucker Davidson on minor league contract

The Phillies have signed former Atlanta Braves starter Tucker Davidson to a minor league contract, according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon. Davidson, 29, spent most of last season in South Korea with the KBO’s Lotte Giants, posting a 3.58 ERA in 123 1/3 innings. He signed with the Brewers on a minor league contract in August and made six starts for Triple-A Nashville before being released at the end of the year. 

The left-hander last pitched in the majors in 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles, appearing in one game at the end of September. He was a part of the 2021 World Series-winning Braves team and has bounced around the majors since his departure from Atlanta in 2023. 

Davidson should slot into the Phillies’ Triple-A starting rotation to begin the year. The Phillies are low on starting pitching depth beyond their top six of Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Andrew Painter and Taijuan Walker. The team only needed to use eight non-openers to start games last year. The Phillies cannot count on that number this year being as low as it was last year, so it makes sense to stockpile some depth.