PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Philadelphia Phillies designated veteran outfielder Michael Saunders for assignment Tuesday after a failed three-month experiment.
A late free-agent signing in the offseason, the Phillies guaranteed Saunders $9 million and had a club option for 2018 that included a $1 million buyout. After a strong start to the 2016 season for Toronto that earned him an All-Star berth, Saunders cooled off in the second half of that season and wasn’t re-signed by the Blue Jays.
The Phillies took a chance that Saunders, 30, would revert back to that first-half form and solidify the middle of their lineup.