SAN FRANCISCO -- After the Cardinals designated him for assignment Thursday, left-handed reliever Kevin Siegrist was claimed by the Phillies on waivers Saturday morning.
Siegrist had been on the disabled list with left forearm tendinitis when St. Louis designated him Thursday. After pitching for the Cardinals in parts of the past five seasons, Siegrist dealt with injury trouble all season, including a neck injury.
"It's just been a season of trying to get him healthy. It's always been a challenge, and you're fighting to get yourself right," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Thursday. "I think it just kind of went a couple different directions, but unfortunately, it was just hard to get in front of it."
While battling through the injuries, Siegrist posted a 4.98 ERA over 34 1/3 innings and a 13.3 percent walk rate that ranked 195th among 206 relievers with at least 30 innings, according to FanGraphs. Left-handers were slugging a career-best .420 against him this year.

Siegrist, who still has two seasons left of team control, had fallen out of favor as a top left-hander in the Cardinals' bullpen behind Brett Cecil, Tyler Lyons and Zach Duke and rookie Ryan Sherriff.
"It comes down to the business of the game, too," Matheny said. "Our lefties down there are throwing well, and trying to figure it all out with roster, it gets complex. But unfortunately, injuries sometimes open up doors for things like this."
Since making his Major League debut with the Cardinals in 2013, Siegrist is 18-10 with a 3.03 ERA and 279 strikeouts in 240 2/3 innings. Siegrist had been a key part of the bullpen the past two seasons, posting a 2.17 ERA in 74 2/3 innings in 2015 while pitching in a Major League-high 81 games. He followed that up with a 2.77 ERA in 61 2/3 innings last season.
Worth noting
• Jedd Gyorko (right hamstring strain) played catch Saturday morning, his first on-field activity since being placed on the disabled list on Aug. 27. He is eligible to be activated Wednesday, and while he may not be fully healthy, Matheny hinted that he could come off the disabled list if only to be available just in case he was needed.
• Outfielder Tommy Pham was not in the starting lineup on Saturday for a second straight day after jamming his thumb into second base Thursday night. Matheny said Pham could be available if needed Saturday, but with the expanded rosters, the Cardinals should be able to avoid using him and give him a full day off.