​The Philadelphia Phillies recently announced a series of roster moves that included a notable decision: their No. 13-ranked prospect, Jean Cabrera, was designated for assignment. This is not an everyday move for a team to DFA someone ranked so highly, but the Phillies acted with a clear justification: Cabrera had been struggling. Yet, when the DFA was issued, there remained a possibility that the young right-hander could find his way back to Philadelphia if he cleared waivers. On Saturday, the Phillies confirmed that exact scenario had unfolded. Cabrera, who MLB Pipeline ranks as the No. 13 prospect in the Phillies’ farm system, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Double-A Reading. “RHP Jean Cabrera (DFA on 74) has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Reading (AA),” the Phillies announced.
This situation is intriguing because it’s uncommon for a team to DFA a top-15 prospect, and even more unusual that a player can pass through waivers without being claimed. There’s a straightforward reason Cabrera couldn’t secure a 40-man roster spot at the time: the Phillies DFA’d him in early July precisely for that reason. Cabrera, now 24, had posted a 9.10 ERA over 15 starts this season, including an 8-start stretch with a 0.891 ERA spanning 34.1 innings at Double-A Reading and a 7-start, 28-inning sample at Triple-A Lehigh Valley with a 9.32 ERA. By comparison, his 2025 ERA stood at 3.81 and 2024 at 3.80, raising hopes that he could rebound. However, this season’s letdown has been a cause for greater concern than optimism.
Although the Phillies DFA’d Cabrera earlier in the summer, they ultimately managed to reacquire him after he cleared waivers; he is no longer on the 40-man roster and has been returned to Double-A Reading. This sequence—DFA, clearance through waivers, and outright assignment to Reading—illustrates the sometimes complex path of a highly touted pitching prospect who has yet to establish consistency at higher levels. The latest move keeps Cabrera in the organization’s fold while reinforcing the reality that his development remains a work in progress, even as he remains a component of the Phillies’ broader pitching pipeline.