Ahead of their Friday night series opener against the Oakland Athletics, the Philadelphia Phillies announced that they have released veteran utility player Whit Merrifield and recalled Weston Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move.
The Phillies signed Merrifield this past offseason to a one-year, $8 million deal back in February, a deal below his expected market value. Upon his arrival, the three-time All-Star spoke glowingly of the organization:
“It checked a lot of boxes for me,” the 35-year-old infielder and outfielder said Monday after finalizing an $8 million, one-year contract. “The reputation of this team and this clubhouse gets around. Watching some of these playoff games in Philadelphia, I wanted to be a part of it. I’m really thrilled.”
It seemed at first that Philadelphia had made one of the steals of the offseason as Merrifield was coming off of an All-Star season with the Toronto Blue Jays. Unfortunately for the Phillies and Merrifield, the latter struggled to find any consistency at the plate, hitting just .199 with an OPS of .592 and 11 RBIs in 174 plate appearances.
Merrifield will now have the opportunity to join another team and look to bounce back into form.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, will move ahead with infielder/outfield Weston Wilson, at least in the interim. The 29-year-old has gone 0-4 in limited action this season but provided a small boost at the plate in 2023, averaging .313 with a 1.000 OPS in 22 plate appearances while adding three stolen bases.
Wilson does not figure to be Merrifield’s long-term replacement. The inclusion of an additional bat—the Phillies have been linked to several, including the Athletic’s Brent Rooker—would fill the spot at the plate but could potentially come at the cost of defensive versatility. An ancillary move may prove necessary for Philadelphia at some point.
