Phillies release Whit Merrifield as offseason backup signing ends in $8M mistake

On Friday, the Phillies released Whit Merrifield, whom the club had envisioned as a do-it-all veteran but who turned out to be an $8 million mistake. Merrifield hit .199 with a .572 OPS in 174 plate appearances and did not make the All-Star break.

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

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

By cutting ties now, the Phillies have a runway to evaluate the rest of the bench before the July 30 trade deadline. They called up Weston Wilson from Triple-A, and he will fill the role Merrifield occupied as a right-handed hitter who can play both the infield and the outfield. Wilson has been on a power streak 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 in the lineup Friday as a left fielder against Oakland A’s left-hander Hogan Harris.

Merrifield was well liked in the Phillies’ clubhouse and will likely join another organization. The fit always made sense, but the poor results weren’t enough to justify Merrifield staying with a team with World Series aspirations.