After posting a 5.80 ERA in 33 games (21 starts) in 2015, it's a fairly safe bet to assume that the Philadelphia Phillies won't be showing any last second interest in bringing back Jerome Williams for the 2016 season.
According to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish, Williams won't be suiting up for any team for the first few months of the season after recently undergoing surgery on his achilles.
Source: FA RHP Jerome Williams recently underwent achilles surgery and will miss the first couple months of the season.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 25, 2016
In 2014, the Phillies claimed Williams off of waivers after the Texas Rangers became the second team from the lone-star state to designate Williams for assignment within a 40 day period. Williams made the best of his opportunity with the Phillies, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.83 ERA in nine starts. The stat FIP suggests that Williams was rather lucky however, as he posted a 3.99 FIP (per Baseball Reference) during that same time.
As mentioned above, Williams struggled mightily for the Phillies in 2015, after that brief success earned him a one-year extension.
It's fair to wonder at 34 if Williams' career is over after pitching mostly horribly for three different franchises in the last two seasons. If he hopes to continue his career, Williams will be facing an uphill battle, as he will first have to work his way back from this injury and then probably through triple-a to get another chance at the big-league level.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is the Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
