The Phillies have signed 32-year old lefty swinging 2B Joe Thurston to a minor league deal. Thurston played in 1 game for the Florida Marlins last year and he was 1 for 4 (.250 avg, .500 OPS) with 1 stolen base. He played for the Phillies back in 2006 when he appeared in 18 games in which he was 4 for 18 (.222 avg, .578 OPS) with 3 runs scored. Thurston has played in 184 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 76 of 337 (.226 avg, .629 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 1 homer, 27 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He will likely start the 2012 season in AAA for the Phillies.