The Minnesota Twins announced that they have acquired outfielder Hendry Mendez and right-handed pitcher Geremy Villoria in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader.
Mendez, 21, has hit .290 (86-for-297) with 13 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 46 RBI, 40 walks (against 44 strikeouts), six stolen bases, 44 runs scored, a .374 on-base percentage, a .434 slugging percentage and an .808 OPS in 85 games for Double-A Reading this season. He entered today ranked 10th among all qualified Double-A hitters in batting average and among the Eastern League leaders in batting average (3rd), on-base percentage (5th), hits (T-7th), RBI (T-8th) and OPS (T-8th). The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native also hit for the cycle on June 20 vs. Hartford. The left-handed batter has hit .272 (369-for-1356) with 63 doubles, 12 triples, 20 home runs, 175 RBI, 194 walks, 19 stolen bases, 190 runs scored, a .366 on-base percentage and a .747 OPS in 386 career minor league games over five seasons.
Ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Phillies’ system by MLB.com, Mendez was originally signed by Milwaukee in January 2021 and was acquired by Philadelphia from the Brewers with infielder Robert Moore in exchange for infielder Oliver Dunn in November 2023. He was named Milwaukee’s Complex League Player of the Year in 2021, played in the prestigious Arizona Fall League for Surprise in 2023, and in 2024, with High-A Jersey Shore, ranked second in the South Atlantic League in on-base percentage (.386) and was fourth in batting average (.284).
Villoria, who turns 17 in two weeks, has gone 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA (14.0 IP, 7 ER), four walks, 19 strikeouts, a 1.07 WHIP and a .212 opponent batting average in five starts for the Dominican Summer League Phillies Red this season, his first as a professional. A native of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Villoria signed with Philadelphia in January.
Bader, 31, hit .258 (70-for-271) with 13 doubles, 12 home runs, 38 RBI, 27 walks, 10 stolen bases, 31 runs scored, a .339 on-base percentage and a .778 OPS in 96 games for the Twins this season after signing a one-year free agent contract in early February. The Bronxville, NY native has hit .243 (625-for-2568) with 119 doubles, 13 triples, 83 home runs, 306 RBI, 104 steals, 361 runs scored, a .309 on-base percentage and a .706 OPS in 874 major league games over parts of nine seasons.
(info courtesy of Twins)
