The Philadelphia Phillies have designated outfielder Delmon Young for assignment, according to an announcement from the team. The team will now have ten days to waive, trade, release or outright the 27-year old.
Young signed a one-year, $750K contract with the Phillies before the season and has not lived up to expectations. In 80 games in right field, Young has hit .261 with 8 HR and 31 RBI, and has struggled defensively all season. According to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Young was nine plate appearances away from an $150K bonus, so the Phillies likely decided to cut him in order to save some money for the rest of the season.
Young will be replaced in right field by Casper Wells, who the Phillies claimed off waivers from the White Sox on Thursday. Due to waiver claims, Wells has been property of five teams (the Mariners, Blue Jays, Athletics, White Sox and Phillies) since April 1st, but has appeared in a majority of his games with Chicago on the season. In 38 games, the 28-year old has hit .167 with 1 RBI.
Now that he is available on waivers, Wells will see if a team is willing to take a chance on him by putting in a claim. Due to his previous success at the major league level and still-existent power threat, it would not be surprising to seem a team take a flyer for the last month and a half of the season.
