Whit Merrifield Released By the Phillies

Whit Merrifield Released By the Phillies

Deadlines spur action in sports, and the summer is always a time of reckoning in baseball. Each of the last two seasons, the Phillies have cut ties with an underperforming veteran infielder around this time. They released Didi Gregorius on August 4, 2022, and Josh Harrison on August 2, 2023. Neither has played in the Majors since.

However, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski cut bait a little earlier this season. The club announced the release of utility man Whit Merrifield on Friday halfway through a one-year, $8 million contract. The deal also contained an $8 million club option for 2025 with a $1 million buyout.

A late bloomer with the Kansas City Royals, Merrifield made his Major League Debut in 2016 at age 27. He quickly became one of the league’s top contact hitters and stolen base threats. He led the American League in steals in 2017, 2018, and 2021 and hits in 2018 and 2019. As recently as last year, he earned an All-Star selection with the Toronto Blue Jays, who acquired him from Kansas City at the 2022 trade deadline.

Merrifield was supposed to bolster the Phillies bench, giving them a solid bat against righties and lefties who could play all over the field. However, the regression he showed in the second half of 2023 (his OPS dropped from .734 to .656 after the 2023 All-Star Game) accelerated in his three and a half months as a Phillie. Merrifield ranked in the first percentile in average exit velocity and was also bottom five in xwOBA, xSLG, barrel percentage and hard hit percentage.

Manager Rob Thomson attempted to get him going with increased usage, as Merrifield played in 23 of the team’s 35 games since June 1. But the results did not improve. Whether it was age or struggling to adjust to not playing every day, Merrifield never looked comfortable in red pinstripes.

The Phillies were already likely to add a right-handed hitting outfielder to platoon in left field with Brandon Marsh. Merrifield’s release amplifies that hole. Journeyman Weston Wilson will get the first crack at filling it, at least partially. Wilson has dominated at Triple-A Lehigh Valley the last two seasons. He is slashing .240/.340/.487 with 18 home runs and 14 stolen bases with the Iron Pigs.

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Wilson went 5-16 with a 1.000 OPS in his first taste of the Big Leagues last season before going 0-4 in a brief Big League return in June. It is unlikely the 29-year-old would be in consideration for a regular role. However, the bench spot Merrifield was supposed to fill is certainly within reach.

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