It is a warm, mid-March afternoon at the Phillies’ complex in Clearwater, Fla., as Anton Kuznetsov enters their minor-league facility wearing a red Phillies top, blue shorts and red Liberty Bell cap, part of the typical minor-leaguer spring workout outfit. He also has an additional accessory: an Android cell phone equipped with Google Translate.



That app has been a vital tool for the only Russian in the Phillies organization.



Before he signed with the team in 2016, the then-18-year-old left-hander didn’t know any English. When he arrived for spring training the following year, the Phillies paired him with a tutor from St. Petersburg College to help with communication. Within a year he has learned enough English that he no longer relies on an interpreter. He still has the app handy when he needs words or colloquialisms translated.



Only five Russian-born players have reached the majors, and just one since 1932. If Kuznetsov ascends through the...