The Phillies didn’t keep Hao-Yu Lee long enough to benefit from what he’s doing now, and that’s starting to sting a little more by the day.
Lee, who once ranked fifth among Phillies prospects before being shipped to Detroit in the 2023 trade for Michael Lorenzen, just made MLB history for Taiwan. On Friday, he hit his 10th home run of the season in the Tigers’ game against the Chicago White Sox, becoming the first Taiwanese-born player in MLB history to reach double digits in homers in a season.
That’s a notable milestone on its own, but Lee’s path to it makes the story even more interesting. Philadelphia signed him as an international free agent in 2021 out of Taiwan, a country that has produced 19 major leaguers. Over three seasons in the Phillies’ system, he carved out a reputation as a polished hitter with enough feel to handle multiple infield spots.
By the time the Phillies dealt him, Lee had climbed near the top of their prospect list. Detroit kept him moving, too. He was still among the Tigers’ top 10 prospects in 2025 before making his big league debut in April of this year.
Now 23, Lee has settled in nicely during his first MLB season. He’s played 107 games split between second and third base and has posted a .753 OPS. His 10 home runs also put him halfway to Yu Chang’s career total of 20, which is the most by any Taiwanese player in the majors.
The Phillies, meanwhile, are left to think about the trade that sent him away. Lorenzen came in at the 2023 deadline after Philadelphia had already added Trea Turner and Taijuan Walker in free agency and was trying to push back to the World Series after a run to the National League pennant.
The right-hander gave them a flash of brilliance with a no-hitter in his second start, but the rest of the stint was much rougher. He finished with 47 ⅓ innings and a 5.51 ERA before working two postseason games in mop-up duty.
That deal may have helped steady the rotation in the moment, and maybe that mattered. But the bigger picture is harder to ignore now.
The Phillies have spent the past few years trying to patch together production from the right side, both in the infield and at utility spots, and Lee looks like the kind of player they’ve been searching for. Josh Harrison and Whit Merrifield didn’t work.
Otto Kemp and Felix Reyes were both out of the big league picture before the end of May.
There’s also the question of what comes next. Alec Bohm is set to hit free agency after the season, and Aidan Miller has missed almost all of this year with an injury. If Bryson Stott moves back to second, the Phillies don’t have many internal answers at third base.
That’s why Lee’s emergence matters beyond the history-making home run. He might not be Shohei Ohtani, but he is showing he can be a useful right-handed bat who can move around the field. And for a Phillies club that could use exactly that, his timing couldn’t be more frustrating.
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