Phillies release Whit Merrifield: Offseason bench pickup ends as $8 million mistake

The Phillies on Friday released Whit Merrifield, who the club had envisioned as a veteran do-it-all bench player but evolved into an $8 million mistake. Merrifield hit .199 with a .572 OPS in 174 plate appearances and did not make it to the All-Star break.

Merrifield, who was an All-Star in 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays, had entered last offseason seeking a multiyear deal and an everyday job. He received neither with the Phillies, who had been interested in him all winter but waited until his demands dropped. They signed him during spring training and hoped he’d acclimate to a part-time role after regular at-bats for his entire big-league career.

But Merrifield, 35, did not produce. His 83 mph average exit velocity ranked 325th among 325 hitters who have put 100 balls in play. He had one extra-base hit in the last 33 days, and that was on a routine fly ball earlier this week that an outfielder lost in the lights.

By cutting ties now, the Phillies have a runway to evaluate the rest of the bench ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. They recalled Weston Wilson from Triple A, and he’ll fill the role Merrifield did as a righty hitter who can play on the infield and in the outfield. Wilson has been on a power binge in the minors; he’s hit .315/.446/.740 in 20 games since the Phillies sent him to Lehigh Valley. The Phillies immediately put Wilson into the lineup Friday as the left fielder against Oakland A’s left-hander Hogan Harris.

Merrifield was liked inside the Phillies’ clubhouse and, chances are, he’ll catch on with another organization. The fit always made sense. But the poor results weren’t enough to justify keeping Merrifield on a team with World Series aspirations.

(Photo: Brett Davis / USA Today)