PHILADELPHIA — Editor's note: The above video is from Oct. 12, 2020.
The Philadelphia Phillies are bringing a Lancaster County native into the fold.
The team announced it has signed Travis Jankowski to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. It will be there that Jankowski, 29, competes for a job on the team's bench.
A Lancaster Catholic graduate, Jankowski had spent the entirety of his five-year career with the San Diego Padres after being drafted in the first round the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft after attending the State University of new York at Stony Brook. He then joining the Cincinnati Reds for the abbreviated 2020 season.
With both teams, Jankowski primarily played off the bench, amassing a career high 131 games with the Padres in 2016.
Jankowski swings from the left side, and it appears the Phillies could be considering him as an option to replace outfielder Jay Bruce, who left the team via free agency and signed a deal with the New York Yankees.
A career .238 hitter, Jankowski will face competition from outfielders Roman Quinn, Mickey Moniak, and Matt Joyce for a backup role.
He does have a speed element to his game that not all outfielders have, totaling over 24 steals in a season twice in his career.
Jankowski also has the ability to play all three outfield positions, with the majority of his appearances coming in center field.
The Phillies open Spring Training on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 1:05 p.m. against the Detroit Tigers.