Phillies trade deadline updates: Phillies add White Sox reliever Tanner Banks, trade Gregory Soto to Orioles

The Phillies will play with the emblem of Independence Blue Cross on their sleeve as they joined a growing list of sports franchises that have added advertising to their uniforms.

The terms of their agreement were not revealed but Phillies managing partner and CEO John Middleton said the sponsorship patch is a multiyear deal that’s less than the 25-year pact the team struck with Citizens Bank to name the ballpark but “way more than any other sponsorship deal.”

All five of the team’s uniform tops will feature the IBX logo starting with Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Yankees. The health insurer is also featured on the jerseys of the Flyers and Union.

Seranthony Domínguez was part of the bullpen mix until last Friday, when the Phillies traded him to the Orioles for righty-hitting outfielder Austin Hays. Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, said he didn’t feel compelled to replace Domínguez with another trade. It’s possible they will get injured Spencer Turnbull back late in the season to play a multi-inning relief role.

But if the Phillies are able to upgrade the last seat or two in the bullpen — José Ruiz and Yunior Marté are the primary occupants — well, they probably will.

Either way, Dombrowski’s heavy lifting was finished before Deadline Eve. Besides, the biggest factor in whether the Phillies win the World Series isn’t whether they’re able to snatch up another high-leverage reliever for the middle innings of a playoff game.

Most evaluators agree that the Phillies have the most complete roster in baseball. For the other NL contenders, trade-deadline day will be about trying to close the gap. The Los Angeles Dodgers swung a three-team trade Monday for versatile Tommy Edman and reliever Michael Kopech; the injury-ravaged Atlanta Braves are reportedly interested in Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet.

The latter would be of great interest to the Phillies because Crochet would give the Braves a third lefty starter (with Chris Sale and injured Max Fried) to throw at lefty-hitting Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber in a playoff series.

Crochet is also reportedly a target for the Dodgers, who have had the best injured-list rotation in baseball. Tyler Glasnow (back) and Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) recently returned, and Walker Buehler (hip) is getting closer. But Los Angeles is less sure about when Yoshinobu Yamamoto (shoulder) will be back. Shohei Ohtani (elbow) is a slugger-only until next season.

Taijuan Walker has taken the next step toward his return to the Phillies rotation and is set to begin a rehab assignment this week.

Walker will head to double-A Reading on Wednesday, where he’s scheduled to throw three innings. The following Tuesday, the Phillies are hoping to stretch him to five or six innings with triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Walker was placed on the injured list with right-index finger inflammation in June after developing what manager Rob Thomson called a “hot spot” on the finger. The inflammation impacted Walker’s ability to throw his signature splitter.

Matvei Michkov picked a good matchup for the first baseball game of his life.

The Flyers’ top prospect arrived stateside last week and was photographed at JFK Airport wearing a Phillies hat. But Michkov, who is from Perm, Russia, hasn’t actually had much exposure to America’s pastime — he has never even caught a game on TV before. But that changed Monday when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the series opener between the Phillies and Yankees.

Michkov, making his first public appearance in Philadelphia, was accompanied to Citizens Bank Park by his translator, Slava Kuznetsov, and Flyers teammates Tyson Foerster, Joel Farabee, and Cam York.