Bryan De La Cruz was promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday and wasted no time making his case, hitting a solo home run to center field on a 91 mph fastball from Eric Lauer in the fourth inning of Wednesday's 9-5 loss to the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park.
It was his second plate appearance as a Phillie. The ball left his bat at 105.8 mph and just cleared the center field fence.
"First of all, I want to thank God and this team for giving me the opportunity to be here today," De La Cruz said. "Second, it's known that I hit left-handed pitchers good."
The Phillies promoted him for exactly that reason. Philadelphia entered Wednesday ranked 24th in MLB with a .683 OPS against lefties, their right-handed hitters ranked 29th with a .638 OPS against them, which would be the worst mark by any Phillies team since 1969.
De La Cruz hit .269 with 12 home runs and an .806 OPS at Lehigh Valley this season and carries a career record of hitting lefties better than righties.
Interim manager Don Mattingly started De La Cruz in right field Wednesday alongside Edmundo Sosa in left and Derek Hill in center, sitting All-Star Brandon Marsh, who is batting .115 with a .379 OPS against lefties since June 26.
The trade deadline is August 3. De La Cruz is the internal solution while the Phillies scour the market for something more.