C Jorge Alfaro was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, because the Phillies were not certain of the status of C Andrew Knapp, who did not go on the 10-day disabled list but is listed day-to-day after getting hit with a foul tip on the back of his right hand. Alfaro, 24, who is out of minor league options after this season, is hitting .241 with seven homers and 43 RBIs in 84 games with Lehigh Valley with a .649 OPS. He has 16 walks and 113 strikeouts. "I know it's not been that good," Alfaro said of his season, "but it's not that bad, because you learn a lot from when you fail a lot. And I think this year is going to help me a lot for next year."

C Jorge Alfaro, 23, is a significant prospect who could find his way to the bigs midway through the year after playing in six games to end 2016. Ranked the No. 3 prospect in the Philadelphia system by Baseball America, Alfaro clubbed 15 homers and drove in 67 runs while hitting .285 at Double-A Reading last season.

C Jorge Alfaro started behind the plate for the first time in his career Tuesday night in a 5-3 Phillies loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Alfaro debuted Monday as a pinch-hitter, earning his first big league hit (an infield single). He didn't have similar luck Tuesday, going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts.

C Jorge Alfaro, one of the Phillies organization's top prospects, got his first career start behind the plate Tuesday after debuting as a pinch hitter Monday night.

C Jorge Alfaro will get his first career start behind the plate Tuesday night, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin indicated Monday. Alfaro, called up over the weekend from Double-A Reading, made his debut at the plate Monday, an eighth-inning pinch-hitting appearance that ended with an infield single for his first career hit.

C Jorge Alfaro will likely make his first start behind the plate Tuesday night. The prospect is part of a successful 2016 for Phillies farm teams. For the first time since 1953, every Philadelphia domestic minor league affiliate finished above .500.

C Jorge Alfaro was recalled from Double-A Reading of the Eastern League on Sunday. He did not play Sunday, but manager Pete Mackanin said after the game he could see action down the stretch. Alfaro, 23, hit .285/.325/.458 with 15 homers and 67 RBIs in 97 games for Reading.

C Jorge Alfaro was optioned to Double-A Reading on Saturday. Alfaro spent just one day with the Phillies, who needed a backup catcher for Friday's series opener against the Mets with C A.J. Ellis traveling from Los Angeles after the Dodgers traded him to the Phillies on Thursday. The brief trip to the majors was the first for Alfaro, who did not play in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Mets. The Phillies want Alfaro to gain postseason experience with Reading, which has the best record in the Eastern League. He is expected to be promoted to the majors again once Reading is done with the playoffs. Alfaro, whom the Phillies acquired from the Texas Rangers in the blockbuster that sent LHP Cole Hamels to the Rangers on July 31, 2015, is batting .279 with 13 homers and 61 RBIs in 90 games for Reading.

C Jorge Alfaro was optioned to Double-A Reading on Saturday.

C Jorge Alfaro was recalled from Double-A Reading on Friday but did not play in the Phillies' 9-4 loss to the Mets. The first promotion to the majors will likely be a brief one for Alfaro, who is expected to return to Reading when C A.J. Ellis -- who was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday in the trade that sent longtime Phillies C Carlos Ruiz to the Dodgers -- reports to the Phillies on Saturday. The Phillies want Alfaro to gain postseason experience with Reading, which has the best record in the Eastern League, before rejoining the club in September. Alfaro, whom the Phillies acquired from the Texas Rangers in the blockbuster that sent LHP Cole Hamels to the Rangers on July 31, 2015, is batting .279 with 13 homers and 61 RBIs in 90 games for Reading.

C Jorge Alfaro was brought up from Double-A Reading on Friday. He will likely head back to the minors when C A.J. Ellis, who was acquired in Thursday's trade, reports to the Phillies on Saturday.

Alfaro (ankle) has started a rehab assignment with the Gulf Coast League Phillies.

The Phillies said Alfaro was unlikely to start playing until the fall instructional leagues, but it seems he is progressing faster than anticipated. There is still time for Alfaro to see some action at Double-A Reading before their season concludes next month.

GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said Alfaro is progressing well in his rehab from a June ankle injury, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Alfaro is expected to be ready to play in the fall instructional league which starts in the middle of September. He is also expected to play winter ball in order to make up for the missed at-bats this season.

Alfaro (ankle) will likely miss the remainder of the minor league season, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

This was already expected, but Joe Jordan, the Phillies' director of player development, confirmed Alfaro is likely done for the year. He has been sidelined since June with an ankle injury. He is expected to play in one of the Caribbean winter leagues in the offseason.

Alfaro (ankle) was officially traded to the Phillies on Friday as part of the blockbuster deal the team agreed upon with the Rangers earlier this week, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

The Rangers will send three of their top five prospects to Philadelphia in the deal, with Alfaro earmarked to serve as the club's long-term option behind the plate. The 22-year-old is expected to miss the rest of 2015 due to the ankle injury, but boasts a plus arm and showed some pop at Double-A Frisco this season, hitting .253 with five homers and 15 doubles across 207 plate appearances. His plate discipline remains something of a concern, but there's enough tools here for Alfaro to develop into one of the league's better catchers in time.

The Phillies and the Rangers have an agreement in place for a trade that would send Cole Hamels to Texas for a package consisting of Alfaro (ankle), Nick Williams and Jerad Eickhoff, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports.

Alfaro, the best hitting catching prospect in baseball by a fair margin, has been out of action since suffering a significant ankle injury in mid-June. He may miss the rest of the season, but Alfaro is just 22 and the combination of him and Williams (not to mention Eickhoff and any other possible pieces) represents a very strong return for Philadelphia. Alfaro hit .253/.314/.432 with five homers in 49 games with Double-A Frisco before landing on the shelf.

Alfaro (ankle) could miss the rest of the season, the Dallas Morning News reports.

A "significant" left ankle injury landed Alfaro on the 7-day DL at Double-A Frisco on Friday, a day after he turned 22 years old. The team is exploring treatment options and season-ending surgery is among them, according to director of player development Mike Daly. A top prospect in the Rangers' system, Alfaro has hit .253/.314/.432 with five homers, 21 RBI and a 9:61 BB:K in 49 games with Frisco this season.

Alfaro has struggled with controlling the strike zone so far at Double-A Frisco, hitting .267/.342/.435 with eight walks and 42 strikeouts in 131 at-bats.

The high strikeout rates are nothing new for Alfaro - he struck out 123 times between High-A and Double-A last season.