Philadelphia, PA - The Phillies have acquired left-handed reliever Luis Avilán from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league right-hander Felix Paulino.
Avilán, 29, has posted a 3.86 ERA with 14 walks, 46 strikeouts and two home runs allowed in 39.2 innings for the White Sox this season. His 58 appearances are seventh-most in the American League. A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Avilán has faced 77 left-handed batters this season, holding them to a .214 batting average, .564 OPS, five walks, four RBI, no home runs and 21 strikeouts. Since May 21, he has limited them to a .136 average with no extra-base hits or RBI.
A veteran of seven major league seasons with the Braves (2012-15), Dodgers (2015-17) and White Sox (2018), Avilán is 19-10 with a 3.09 ERA in 287 games in relief. He has made at least 60 appearances in four of his last five seasons (2013-15, 2017). Avilán was originally signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent in 2005.
The 23-year-old Paulino went 4-4 with a 3.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 34 walks and 74 strikeouts in 92.0 innings over 31 games (9 starts) between single-A Clearwater and double-A Reading in 2018. Signed by the Phillies from the Dominican Republic as an amateur free agent in 2014, Paulino owns a 3.62 ERA in 96 minor league appearances, 57 of which have been starts. to make room for Avilán on the 40-man roster, right-hander Jose Taveras has been designated for assignment.
