Phillies News: Brown on leave, Gonzalez activated, and so much more

Are you looking for Phillies news? Have I ever got some Phillies news for you.

Left fielder Domonic Brown has been placed on paternity leave, which means awh, Domonic Brown had a baby! Well, not him. I'm assuming there was a woman involved. Congratulations and best wishes to Dom and his new offspring. You know, people say that having a kid changes everything. Let's hope that's actually the case with Brown, who has been abysmal this year. In 81 games, he's hit .225/.277/.323, which, woof. To take Dom's place on the roster, the Phillies called up outfielder Aaron Altherr from AA (just 13 days after sending him down, which was three days after calling him up for the first time). Since paternity leave only lasts for three games, Altherr will probably be shuttled back down again this weekend. This is the second time Altherr has been recalled to replace a player on temporary, non-injury related leave, so he can at least say that he's the Phillies' go-to guy for that.

Pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, who still exists (I'll admit, I'd forgotten) has been activated from the 60-day DL. Gonzalez's story with the Phillies just keeps getting more and more... interesting? That's not the right word. Tangled? Unfortunate? Complicated? Take your pick. Gonzalez has had shoulder problems all year, and has now been converted to a reliever. His rehab assignment from those shoulder issues has been lengthy -- about a month ago Gonzalez reported arm fatigue and was out of action for a few weeks. But he's finally completed his rehab and assigned to AA-Reading. Hopefully he can get a fresh start and find some success. Or at least some non-suckiness. I don't ask for much.

To make room for Gonzalez, something on the roster had to shift. So reliever Mike Adams has been moved to the 60-day DL. Adams was put on the disabled list back on June 7 for inflammation in his right rotator cuff, but was later diagnosed with a frayed labrum. I feel like fraying isn't something you want ANYTHING in your body to be doing. Fabric can fray. Shoulder cartilage? That's a big N-O. With his move to the 60-day DL, Adams won't be eligible to return until early August.

And finally, the Phillies are close to getting one of their catchers back, but sadly it's not Carlos Ruiz and his slowly healing concussion. But yay, it's backup catcher Wil Nieves! Nieves has started a rehab assignment with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. He's eligible to be activated on Friday. As far as who will be sent down when Nieves completes his rehab, my money is on Koyie Hill. Cameron Rupp hasn't exactly covered himself in glory during his time with the Phillies, but he's almost 10 years younger than Hill and could use more time in the majors. Like a good steak, he must be seasoned. Crap, now I'm hungry.