PHILADELPHIA, PA: The Phillies declared on Friday that they had recalled fellow infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and released veteran infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield.
This past offseason, Merrifield signed a one-year, $8MM contract with the Phillies via free agency. This guarantee took the shape of a salary of $7 million for the current campaign and a buyout of at least $1 million on a $8 million club option for the 2025 campaign.
In 174 plate appearances this season, Merrifield has battled to a hitting line of .199/.277/.295; he is still owed roughly $3.01MM of his salary in addition to the $1MM buyout. He can now sign with any team, and the only amount a new team will have to pay him for any time he spends on the MLB roster or injured list is the prorated league minimum.
Even while it's obvious that Merrifield's time with the Phillies didn't work out, as recently as the previous season in Toronto, he was a respectable hitter with a slash line of .272/.318/.382, 11 home runs, 28 doubles, a triple, 26 steals, a 6.1% walk rate, and a 17.1% strikeout rate.
Since his prime seasons (at ages 29 and 30) when he led the American League in hits in back-to-back seasons while playing with the Royals, his offense has declined significantly, but the rate of decrease was both sudden and unanticipated.
Merrifield has to admit that his contact abilities are still quite good. In just 10.9% of his plate appearances, he has struck out, and his 8.6% walk rate this season actually ties a career-high for the three-time All-Star.
Even though the late-blooming Merrifield didn't make it to the majors until his age-27 season in Kansas City, he almost immediately established himself as one of the league's most productive hitters and base thieves in addition to becoming a mainstay on the Royals team.
Merrifield hit .295/.342/.445 with 58 home runs and 119 stolen bases between 2016 and 20. He led the American League in stolen bases in 2017, 2018, and 2021, in addition to leading the majors in hits in 2018 and 2019.
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