The Low-A St. Lucie Mets announced Monday that Joseph has been named the team's hitting coach, signaling the end of his playing career.
Joseph's transition into coaching will mark the end of a 12-year professional career that began in 2009, when he was a second-round selection of the Giants. He ended up spending two seasons in the big leagues with Philadelphia, slashing .247/.297/.460 with 43 home runs in 880 plate appearances. In addition to his stints in the Giants and Phillies organizations, the 29-year-old also saw minor-league action with the Rangers and Red Sox.
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Red Sox's Tommy Joseph: Returns stateside
Rotowire
Joseph joined the Red Sox as a non-roster invitee Friday.
The 28-year-old owns a lopsided .247/.297/.460 slash line in 249 career big-league games, not quite good enough for a player who can only play first base. All of those games came in 2016 and 2017, as he spent 2018 in the minors and headed to Korea for 2019. In 55 games there for the LG Twins, he hit a respectable but hardly dominant .274/.332/.426.
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Tommy Joseph: Signs overseas
Rotowire
Joseph signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the LG Twins of the KBO on Monday, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.
Joseph spent most of the 2018 season with Triple-A Round Rock, hitting .284/.353/.549 with 21 homers across 84 games for the Express. Across parts of two major-league seasons -- most recently in 2017 -- Joseph compiled a .247/.297/.460 with 43 homers in 249 games.
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Rangers' Tommy Joseph: Outrighted to Double-A
Rotowire
Joseph accepted an outright assignment to Double-A Frisco on Monday.
Joseph hasn't been down at the Double-A level since 2014. He spent the last two years in the big leagues with the Phillies, showing decent power (43 home runs in 249 games) but not enough on-base ability (.297 on-base percentage) to stick around at the big-league level. He's been designated for assignment by both the Phillies and the Rangers this spring and was not claimed by another team. He could eventually return to the big leagues as a bench bat but currently doesn't hold a 40-man roster spot, so he's unlikely to be one of the first names called upon in the event of an injury.
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Rangers' Tommy Joseph: Weighs options after clearing waivers
Rotowire
Joseph cleared waivers Friday and is currently considering whether to remain in the Rangers organization, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Joseph was designated for assignment Thursday and was previously optioned to Double-A Frisco. The 26-year-old has the ability to elect free agency after being outrighted twice in the past month and could garner some interest with a .247/.297/.757 slash line and 43 home runs in 810 at-bats for the Phillies over the past two seasons.
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Rangers' Tommy Joseph: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Joseph was designated for assignment by the Rangers on Thursday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The Rangers needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for the addition of Kevin Jepsen, who made the Opening Day roster after a strong spring, and Joseph was the corresponding roster casualty. The 26-year-old has knocked 20-plus homers in each of the previous two seasons, though that has come with a lackluster .240/.289/.432 slash line. He should garner some interest on waivers.
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Rangers' Tommy Joseph: Optioned to Double-A
Rotowire
Joseph was optioned to Double-A Frisco on Friday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Joseph was recently claimed off waivers by the Rangers on Monday and will head to the minors in order to get some regular at-bats. The 26-year-old appeared in 142 games for Philadelphia last season, hitting .240 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI. With Joey Gallo set to man first base, Joseph is unlikely to see regular time in 2018 but should be ready to return to the majors in the near future.
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Rangers' Tommy Joseph: Likely starting season in minors
Rotowire
Joseph isn't expected to make the Rangers' Opening Day roster, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
In order to give Joseph regular at-bats, it's expected that he'll be assigned to Double-A Frisco or Triple-A Round Rock. Joey Gallo is in line to be the club's starter at first base, but Joseph could be a serviceable reserve option if needed. Over 142 games with the Phillies last season, Joseph slashed .240/.289/.432 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI.
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Rangers' Tommy Joseph: Claimed by Rangers
Rotowire
Joseph was claimed off waivers by the Rangers on Monday.
Clayton Blackburn (elbow) was shifted to the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the Rangers' 40-man roster for Joseph, who will join Texas after being designated for assignment by the Phillies last week. With Joey Gallo settled in at first base for the Rangers, the 26-year-old Joseph will likely work as his backup while offering a right-handed bench bat, assuming he cracks the Opening Day roster. He hit .240/.289/.432 with 22 homers across 142 games last season.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Designated for assignment Monday
Rotowire
Joseph was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Monday, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Joseph was dropped from the Phillies' 40-man roster in order to make room for the signing of Jake Arrieta. While the 26-year-old has knocked 20-plus homers in each of the previous two seasons, his lackluster .240/.289/.432 line across 142 games in 2017 left something to be desired and he was ultimately deemed expendable following the offseason addition of Carlos Santana to handle everyday duties at first base. Joseph should garner some interest on waivers.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Sees time at both outfield corners
Rotowire
Joseph is swapping between left field and right field in Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The ploy could be an attempt to test out Joseph's versatility at multiple outfield positions, though it could also be an attempt to hide his glove in the spots least likely for a ball to be hit to. Either way, the fact that the Phillies are experimenting with Joseph indicates that they want to give him a fair shot at making the team this spring. He's currently not a favorite to win a bench role, but if he hits and takes reasonably well to the outfield, it would help his chances of sticking around.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Playing in left field Tuesday
Rotowire
Joseph is in the lineup as the left fielder Tuesday against the Tigers, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.
Joseph has never played in the outfield at any point in his professional career. The breakout of Rhys Hoskins and the signing of Carlos Santana mean that Joseph is unlikely to make the roster as a first baseman this year. His outfield tryout seems like an effort to give him one last chance to stick on the roster, as there could be a role for him as a fifth outfielder and pinch hitter. Even in that role, however, his at-bats are likely to be limited, leaving him with little fantasy value barring an injury to a Phillies starter.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Roster spot in question
Rotowire
Joseph seems to be on the outside of the 25-man roster looking in heading into spring training, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
This ominous outlook certainly isn't due to lack of production. Although his average and OPS dipped a bit last season, Joseph bashed 43 homers and 42 doubles over the past two seasons, helping him to drive in 116 runs in that span. The biggest reasons for his roster spot being in question are the emergence of Rhys Hoskins and the signing of Carlos Santana. At this point, it seems like Joseph is the third option at first base, and the only other position he played in his career is catcher (not counting his one-game stint as a third baseman in the minors). General manager Matt Klentak commented that he respects what the 26-year-old has done the past two seasons and that he's currently considered a part of the active roster. However, he noted that Joseph will have to earn his spot during spring training "just like everybody else," which could make things difficult if he struggles during Grapefruit League action.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Hits 22nd homer Wednesday
Rotowire
Joseph went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in a 7-5 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday.
Joseph has started at first base just 10 times in the Phillies' last 23 games. His playing time will continue to be limited over the remainder of the season with the Phils focused on getting Rhys Hoskins at-bats.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Playing time will be limited
Rotowire
Joseph will continue to see his playing time limited with Rhys Hoskins expected to play more first base now that Aaron Altherr has returned from a hamstring injury, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.
Joseph was out of the starting lineup the past four games and is going to have a hard time finding at-bats over the remainder of the season. He's a near lock to be dealt to another club this winter with Hoskins set to open next year as the Phillies' regular first baseman.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Sitting again Sunday
Rotowire
Joseph is out of the lineup Sunday against the Nationals, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.
For the third consecutive game, Joseph is being withheld from the starting lineup. Maikel Franco will start at first base and hit fifth in the order with Joseph out.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Out of lineup Saturday
Rotowire
Joseph is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.
He will head to the bench for the second straight game as Rhys Hoskins once again mans first base. Joseph won't be phased out entirely, but with Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr (hamstring) back from the DL, his playing time will take a hit.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Out of Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Joseph is out of the lineup Friday against the Nationals, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.
Rhys Hoskins will start at first base and hit third with Joseph sitting out Friday night. Joseph, who's hit two home runs over the last seven games, will likely return to action Saturday when the Phillies take on Edwin Jackson and the Nationals.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Hits solo shot in loss to Nats
Rotowire
Joseph went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during Thursday's loss to Washington.
Joseph's power has dipped considerably during his sophomore campaign, but otherwise he's pretty much been as advertised with 21 homers, 66 RBI, 48 runs and a .239/.289/.433 slash line. There's still the upside for a 30-bomb season in the future, and it's encouraging to see him find a groove down the stretch with five homers through his past 14 games.
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Phillies' Tommy Joseph: Out of Game 2 lineup
Rotowire
Joseph is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against Atlanta, Stephen Gross of The Morning Call reports.
Joseph will retreat to the bench for the second time in the past three games. He went 1-for-4 with one strikeout during Game 1, and will take a seat in favor of Rhys Hoskins at first base.
