The Philadelphia Phillies have seen a remarkable turnaround since a major leadership change at the top.
Since bench coach Don Mattingly replaced longtime manager Rob Thomson, the club has captured four consecutive series victories. During that stretch, the starting rotation has improved significantly, while several hitters have begun performing at a higher level.
One example is infielder Alec Bohm, who struggled before Mattingly advised him to step away from hitting for a few days. After returning, Bohm showed noticeable improvement at the plate. Meanwhile, outfielder Brandon Marsh has thrived under the new manager’s public support, rising to become Major League Baseball’s batting average leader.
Philadelphia Phillies Cut Ties With Veteran Outfielder
But as the team starts to get more from its personnel, the organization also decided to cut ties with a long-tenured outfielder on Sunday as the Phillies released Oscar Mercado from their Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs, per the transaction log.
The Phillies signed Mercado to a minor-league deal in March after he saw 34 plate appearances and a .242/.265/.333 slash line in preseason with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mercado also played for the IronPigs last season, which evidently left an impression on the club.
“Mercado had a solid season with the Phillies’ Triple-A club in Lehigh Valley last year, his age-30 campaign,” Steve Adams wrote for MLB Trade Rumors. “In 115 games and 477 plate appearances, he slashed .249/.369/.373 with 11 homers, 40 steals and more walks (14.5%) than strikeouts (14.3%).”
Philadelphia Phillies Outfielder Saw Brief Stint In 2022
But last year wasn’t the first time Mercado had joined the Phillies organization. In 2022, he took a single at-bat for the Phillies big-league club following three seasons with the Cleveland Guardians. All told, across five major-league campaigns, Mercado has slashed .237/.289/.388 while making starts in all three outfield spots, though he hasn’t quite lived up to the promise scouts saw in him as an amateur or that he enjoyed as a rookie in 2019.
“Mercado hasn’t played in the majors since 2023 and was never really able to follow up on a strong rookie showing in 2019, when he batted .269/.318/.443 with 15 homers and 15 steals in 115 games with Cleveland,” Adams added.
After a very brief reunion with the Phillies organization, it seems the team is no longer interested in him as a potential outfield depth option. Still, his history as a productive minor-league player and promising major-league outfielder should find him a new home in the near future.
