On the IronPigs homestand, scouts from Kansas City, the Athletics and other MLB teams were in attendance to look for players that might interest their particular organization at the trade deadline.

When the dust settled from Monday’s deadline, the current Lehigh Valley roster wasn’t disrupted, although the Phillies did add one player who will join the team.

The only player with recent ties to the IronPigs that was dealt by the Phillies was pitcher Seth Johnson, who was currently with the big league club as a reliever. Late on Monday, Johnson was dealt to the Athletics for outfielder Colby Thomas, who will join the IronPigs roster this week in Worcester.

Things like the trade deadline and the potential to have their careers — and lives — changed by the decision of someone else are the types of things that players don’t really talk about. They know it’s a possibility, but don’t focus on it, because they can’t control it. Players, especially those in the minor leagues, will often say that they are playing for 30 teams, because they never know who is watching or what team may see them as a potential fit.

They also don’t know what their current organization is thinking about their future with them.

“You have to be living under a rock not to acknowledge it, but again, it’s one of those things where you only have one bucket of energy so there’s no point expending too much of it on that because so much of it is out of our control,” said manager Tank Adamson early in the last homestand.

When he made those comments, pitcher Alex McFarlane had just been optioned to Lehigh Valley after making his major league debut with a scoreless inning against the Dodgers. Outfielder Kameron Misner had also just joined the team after being purchased from the Kansas City Royals. Neither player could assume that they would be with the organization past Monday when the MLB trading period closed.

Misner, who had been selected by the Miami Marlins with the first pick of the Competitive Balance Round in the 2019 Draft, had been traded to Tampa Bay a little more than two years after being drafted. Then, following the 2025 season, he was dealt to Kansas City and just prior to being sent to the Phillies had been designated for assignment by the Royals, putting him in transaction limbo as he waited to see where his career would go next.

“It’s just pack up your stuff and go,” said Misner prior to his first game with Lehigh Valley last week. “It’s not what you want, obviously, you don’t know anything. I trust the Lord and trust everything that’s got me to where I am.”

This week, another new face will join Lehigh Valley when Thomas arrives. Johnson will go through the same routine that he did when he was acquired by the Phillies at the trade deadline two years ago from Baltimore. It’s just part of the game of baseball and the players know that all they can do is play hard, never knowing where their path will lead.

A TIME FOR FIRSTS ... For McFarlane, who had never pitched above the Double-A level before July 24 when he made his MLB debut, he got to experience his first trip to a major league mound and the next day, was told he would be making his first trip to Triple-A when the Phillies optioned him to the IronPigs. Just as he did in his major league debut, McFarlane threw a scoreless inning in his Triple-A debut against Buffalo but went one better. Against the Dodgers he allowed a hit, but a fielding error was the only blemish on his Triple-A debut against the Bisons. In his two outings at Coca-Cola Park last week, the error was the only baserunner he allowed and five of the six outs he recorded were on strikeouts.

WALK THIS WAY ... Last season, Gabriel Rincones Jr. set the IronPigs record for walks in a season when he drew 80 bases on balls. That record has since been passed by current IronPig Christian Cairo, who drew his 81st walk of the season last week against Buffalo. If he remains with Lehigh Valley for the rest of the season, Cairo is on a pace to have 112 walks this season.

PLAYOFF HOPES FADE ... With each passing series, the playoff hopes of the IronPigs seem to fade into the sunset. At 16-17 in the second half, Lehigh Valley is seven games behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Yankees) for the second-half championship and a trip to the playoffs. On the season, the IronPigs are 51-57 after splitting their six-game series with Buffalo (Blue Jays) last week. This week, the Pigs are in Worcester to face the Red Sox (56-47), who are 5 ½ games behind Scranton.

A FRESH COAT OF PAINT ... The fact that the Phillies didn’t acquire a starting pitcher at the deadline bodes well for Andrew Painter. After throwing the best game of his short major league career last week, Painter will now likely stick as the Phillies fifth starter for the remainder of the season.