Phillies activate Lidge, kick Baez to the curb

The moment we have all been waiting for has finally happened! No, not the activation of Brad Lidge, which also happened today, but the Phillies finally rid themselves of Danys Baez, designating him for assignment to make room for Lidge on the roster.

Baez has been nothing but awful for the Phillies the last two seasons, posting an ERA well above 5 while being completely unreliable in the late innings. Baez had become so useless that Charlie Manuel only called on him to pitch three times in July, his most recent appearance coming against the Mets when he got shelled for 4 runs in an inning of work. So long, Baez, I can't say you'll be missed.

Lidge's return to the Phillies shouldn't be overlooked. He won't be stepping back into the closer role any time soon but Lidge could turn into a useful 7th or 8th inning setup man. He should help alleviate the workload of Antonio Bastardo and Michael Stutes, who have been busting their tails in the late innings this season. Lidge isn't the most consistent guy so it will be interesting to see what role he works himself into.