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The Philadelphia Phillies have returned Rule 5 Draft selection Ender Inciarte to the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
Inciarte was designated for assignment by the Phillies earlier this week to make room on their roster for outfielder Ezequiel Carrera.
Inciarte was placed on waivers and had he been claimed by another team, the same Rule 5 stipulations would have applied -- the outfielder would have had to remain on a team's active roster for the season or returned to the D'backs. However, he passed without being selected, and so the Phillies simply sent him back to Arizona.
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With Delmon Young's injury, Inciarte won a spot on the Phillies' Opening Day roster. A decision would have had to have been made once Young was healthy, but Philadelphia instead opted for the experience of Carrera over the potential of Inciarte.
Prior to being selected in the Rule 5 Draft in December, Inciarte hadn't appeared in a game above the high-A level. He spent the 2012 season with a pair of Arizona's Class-A affiliates, hitting a combined .307/.376/.421 with 28 doubles, 10 triples and two home runs. The 22-year-old owns a career batting line of .283/.347/.367 over parts of five seasons in the minors.
