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Phillies Bid Farewell to Whit Merrifield and Give Weston Wilson an Extended Look
The Philadelphia Phillies cut ties with Whit Merrifield on Friday, July 12. They have recalled Weston Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Read more details below.
The Philadelphia Phillies announced the release of Whit Merrifield on Friday, July 12. Dave Dombrowski, Phillies President of Baseball Operations, will also recall Triple-A Lehigh Valley’s Weston Wilson. Both moves were made official before their game against the Oakland Athletics.
Merrifield was signed as a super utility guy. But the player never managed to make peace with his life on the bench. The team has promoted Wilson for production and pop from the plate’s right-handed side. Manager Rob Thomson broke the news to the players.
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Whit Merrifield’s departure
Merrifield played 53 games for the Phillies. He was signed as a free agent on February 19. The 35-year-old started 20 games in left field. He was given 12 starts from the second base and eight at third base.
Whit scored 21 runs in his 174 plate appearances. White batted 0.199 with 11 RBIs. He was used to playing every game over three seasons but couldn’t get the knack of playing every other day.
Rob Thomson gave an emotional farewell to the veteran. “It’s difficult, and it’s not just that: It’s the person, the teammate, the guy in the clubhouse,” he said. Rob thinks it’s very difficult to balance that out. He revealed that he liked him a lot. “He certainly worked at it,” Thomson said. However, he also acknowledged that Merrifield was always prepared, but it just didn’t happen.
Thomson added that he fired and released many people as a farm director and field coordinator. He labeled Merrifield’s departure as one of the tougher ones. Whit couldn’t give the support needed from right-handed pillars. The Phillies will pay Merrifield’s remaining $3 Million salary later. They have a buyout clause for $8 million.
Weston Wilson gets an extended look
Wilson will replace Merrifield at the Phillies. He has hit 0.313 in eight games in 2022. He hit an incredible homerun on his debut in Michael Lorenzen’s no-hitter. He has played only two games for the Phillies this year and has a 0-in-4 record.
The Phillies acquired Weston from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He was hitting a 0.211 with eight home runs there before coming to London. When he went back, he improved his form. He hit 0.315 with ten homers.
“Wilson’s hot, we’re trying to get a little more thump from the right side,” Thomson said. The management wants to have a look at the player since Whit didn’t work out. Wilson has got an extended look three weeks before the trade deadline. The Phillies want to check his caliber against left-hand starting pitching.
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