Rattlesnakes announced Thursday that they chose left-handed contract Philip Abner From Triple-A Reno. Florida’s 2023 sixth round will debut whenever he first appears in the bullpen. Arizona chooses left-handed Kyle Backhus To clear the active roster. Arizona’s 40-man lineup is now capable.
Abner, 23, is unblocked at the level of three minor leagues this season. He opened at High-a and has since climbed to Double-A and Triple-A, releasing strong numbers on each site. The end result was an average run of 3.07 on the 58 2/3 innings of bullpen work. Strictly speaking, he was a reliefist, and last summer, the only two majors of the Arizona complex alliance branch “start”, lasting more than one inning. He only started one game in his NCAA career with the Florida Gators.
Abner scored 29.8% of his opponents among minors this season and limited his walking distance with 6.8% clips. His 40.1% ground ball percentage is just two points lower than the league average, and his outstanding performance keeps the ball in the yard, averaging 0.77 home runs per 9 frames at all three levels. He didn’t work hard, with only 90.7 mph speed on his four-pin, but Eberner still recorded a 13.7% swing rate in three minor league docks in 2025.
Although he isn’t the top 30 prospect for the organization in Baseball, MLB.com or Fangraphs, Abner’s performance is hard to ignore. Snakes don’t need To add him to the 40-man squad, as he won’t be eligible for a draft in the Rule 5 draft until the 2026-27 offseason, but his strong numbers are worth mentioning and now he will get a potential bullpen location next year. He will likely enter the 2026 40-man roster and offer a variety of minor league options, while D-Backs Brass can use the final weeks of the season to see him against MLB opponents.
