The Phillies have released right-hander Jackson Rutledge, per a team announcement. He was designated for assignment last week as a corresponding move when the Phils acquired outfielder Derek Hill from the White Sox.
Rutledge, 27, was a waiver claim out of the Nationals organization last month. Washington selected him in the first round of the 2019 draft, 17th overall. Rutledge spent several years ranked among the Nats’ most promising farmhands but never found his stride in the majors. Obviously, there wasn’t a minor league season in 2020, which set back Rutledge’s development. He then missed more than half the 2021 campaign due to shoulder troubles that limited him to 36 1/3 minor league frames. He spent another month on the 2022 injured list due to an undisclosed issue.
Although Rutledge has been mostly healthy since, the results haven’t been there. He’s pitched briefly in parts of four big league seasons but has a 6.29 ERA and just a 19% strikeout rate in 103 major league frames. Rutledge has had solid command at the game’s top level (7.3% walk rate), but he’s been quite prone to free passes in the minors, evidenced by a career 13.5% walk rate in 194 1/3 innings of Triple-A work. That shaky command has contributed to an unsightly 5.60 earned run average during his time in Triple-A.
The Phillies haven’t specified what Rutledge’s injury is, but he was on the minor league injured list at the time of his DFA. Since injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, their only choices were to find a trade partner or release him. They’ve opted for the latter. It’s relatively common for players in this situation to re-sign a minor league deal with the organization that released them, though Rutledge doesn’t exactly have a long history with the Phillies, who claimed him off waivers just five weeks ago.
