Phillies prospect Alfaro set for MLB debut

The Phillies' No. 4 prospect is reportedly coming to the Major Leagues, at least for the time being.

Jorge Alfaro will join Philadelphia at Citi Field in New York on Friday, Yahoo Sports reported Thursday night, and the 23-year-old catcher would stay with the big league team at least until A.J. Ellis is added to the active roster.

The Phillies acquired the veteran backstop Ellis, Minor League right-hander Tommy Bergjans and a player to be named later from the Dodgers in exchange for Carlos Ruiz and cash considerations Thursday, leaving Cameron Rupp as the sole catcher on the Philadelphia club until until Ellis arrives. That's expected to occur sometime this weekend, and Alfaro is expected to be sent back to the Minors at that point.

The No. 64 prospect overall batted .279/.322/.444 over 89 games with Double-A Reading in the Eastern League this season, swatting 13 homers, 18 doubles and two triples while collected 60 RBIs and 60 runs scored. Behind the plate, he's thrown out 31 of 70 (44 percent) would-be thieves and posted a .992 fielding percentage.

On the 20-80 scouting scale, he boasts a 70-grade throwing arm and 60-grade power. The native of Colombia signed with the Rangers three days after his 17th birthday in 2010 and was acquired by the Phillies in last summer's deadline deal that sent Cole Hamels to Texas.

He missed all but 52 games of 2015, suffering an ankle injury June 10 that required surgery. He recovered with three August games in the Gulf Coast League and a 13-game stint in the Venezuelan Winter League. By spring, he was ready to go, and the Phillies were determined to keep him and Andrew Knapp, another catching prospect, on different rosters. Knapp has hit .259/.324/.375 with seven homers for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Philadelphia promoted right-hander Jake Thompson, its No. 5 prospect, earlier in the month. Although he's 1-3 with a 9.79 ERA through four starts, manager Pete Mackanin told media on Wednesday that Thompson will remain in the Major League rotation. Thompson was also acquired from the Rangers in last summer's Hamels trade.