Former top overall pick Mark Appel will receive his first major league call-up on Saturday.
Appel, 30, is being summoned from Triple-A Lehigh Valley after fellow right-hander Connor Brogdon was placed on the COVID-19 injured list, interim manager Rob Thomson said Friday night.
“Completely overwhelmed. I have so many thoughts I want to share but can’t find the words, so I’ll just say this: I’m thankful,” Appel wrote Saturday morning on Twitter. “Today, I get to play a game I love as a Major League Baseball player.”
Appel is 5-0 with five saves and a 1.61 ERA in 19 appearances with Lehigh Valley this season. He rejoined the Phillies’ organization last year after announcing in 2018 that he was stepping away from the sport following injuries to his labrum and rotator cuff.
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Appel with the eighth overall pick of the 2012 draft, however he returned to Stanford instead. The Astros then selected the Houston native with the first overall pick in 2013.
The right-hander’s professional career got off to a solid start but took a turn in 2014, when he posted a 6.91 ERA in 83 1/3 innings pitched.
After a lackluster 2015, Appel was traded to Philadelphia in a deal that landed the Astros closer Ken Giles. Appel’s struggles continued in the Phillies’ organization and he missed the second half of the 2016 season after needing elbow surgery.
