St. Louis Cardinals release minor-league LHP Zach Phillips
Big-league veteran Zach Phillips is no longer a member of the Cardinals organization.
With lefty Sean Gilmartin having been acquired by the Cardinals on waivers on Sunday, the organization had a surplus of capable left-handed relievers in the organization.
In addition to the three lefties they have at the major-league level (Kevin Siegrist, Brett Cecil, and Tyler Lyons), the Cardinals also had highly-regarded farmhand Ryan Sherriff, former first-rounder Marco Gonzales–a natural starter who is also capable of contributing out of the bullpen–and veteran lefty reliever Zach Phillips at Triple-A Memphis, as well as prospect Corey Littrell–whose stock had risen significantly before a suspension for multiple failed drug tests this spring–at Double-A Springfield.
Gilmartin joined the pitching staff at Memphis, which meant that a pitcher needed to be trimmed from the group. The unlucky man among the group was Phillips, who was released from the Cardinals organization on Monday.
The 30-year-old reliever signed with the Cardinals back in November after spending the 2016 season in the Orioles and Pirates organizations.
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Phillips has logged 27 big-league appearances over four seasons for the Pirates, Orioles, and Marlins, posting a 3.22 ERA with a .267 opponent batting average, 20 strikeouts, and nine walks over 22 1/3 innings.
In 30 1/3 innings at Memphis this season, Phillips had posted a 5.04 ERA with a .304 opponent average, 31 strikeouts, and 14 walks. He’d struggled progressively more as the season went on; he started the year with a 1.54 ERA over eight April appearances, along with a 1.63 WHIP that was concerning but still his best WHIP during a single month this season.
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Prior to his release, Phillips was both the oldest and most experienced pitcher on Memphis’s staff. He’ll now be replaced, respectively, in those categories by 30-year-old swingman Josh Zeid and the 27-year-old Gilmartin, who has made 66 big-league appearances over three seasons.