The Chicago Cubs made a trade to bolster their organizational catching depth on Tuesday, acquiring catcher William Simoneit from the Philadelphia Phillies.
According to the MLB transaction wire, Simoneit was assigned to the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate in West Tennessee, serving as a replacement for Moises Ballesteros after he was bumped up to Triple-A this week.
In exchange, the Cubs will send the Phillies cash considerations.
In 77 plate appearances this season, Simoneit has two home runs and eight RBI’s and has drawn seven walks, appearing in 20 games between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies’ system.
He is slashing .145/.286/.306 on the season.
Ballesteros is the top-ranked catcher in the Cubs’ system and their No. 6 prospect overall according to MLB Pipeline. He has appeared in 56 games so far this season with West Tennessee, blasting nine home runs and driving in 43 RBI’s. He’s slashing .299/.372/.495 in 223 total plate appearances for the Smokies.
He is expected to make his Triple-A debut on Tuesday when the Iowa Cubs take on the Indianapolis Indians.
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