ATLANTA - The Phillies signed Michael Saunders a month before spring training, hoping the outfielder would rediscover his All-Star form and they could ship him to a contender at the trade deadline. Moving Saunders now seems unlikely, as simply finding playing time for him is proving to be a challenge.
Saunders was out of the lineup Tuesday night, as he’s batting just .218 with a .652 OPS. It is the sixth-worst OPS among all major-league outfielders. He was a first-time All-Star last season but batted just .178 with a .638 OPS in the second half. Those struggles are continuing.