This morning, the Phillies made their second round of cuts. Catcher Lou Marson was released while Jeremy Horst, Tommy Joseph, Tyson Gillies, Zach Collier were optioned to the minors. Cesar Jimenez, Ken Giles and Andres Blanco were reassigned to minor league camp.
A former Phillies prospect, Lou Marson was the only player to be released this morning. He only played in three games this spring and had a double in his three at-bats. Sebastian Valle is back in big league camp to replace Marson.
Among the pitchers to be sent to minor league camp was Jeremy Horst, who didn't rebound from a rough 2013 with the Phillies. In 2012, Horst impressed the Phils over 32 games, going 2-0 with a 1.15 ERA. Last season, he was 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in 28 games. This spring, Horst gave up five runs, walked five and struck out three in 4 2/3 innings of work.
Cesar Jimenez and Ken Giles were the two other pitchers sent to minor league camp. Jimenez saw action with the big league club last year over 19 games, going 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA. Over 6 2/3 innings this spring, he posted a 5.40 ERA. Giles was a more impressive arm to come out of camp. In his 4 1/3 innings of work, he gave up just one run while striking out five. He spent 2013 in Clearwater, where he went 2-2 with a 6.31 ERA.
Catcher Tommy Joseph, outfielder Tyson Gillies and infielder Andres Blanco rounded out the cuts of the day. Joseph, who was aquired from the Giants in the Hunter Pence trade, spent most of last season on the disabled list with a concussion. In 36 games with four affiliates last season, he hit a combined .179. This spring, Joseph hit .167 with a double and three RBIs. Tyson Gillies hit .111 over 10 games this spring with a double. In 2013, he hit .241 with ten homers and 29 RBIs between Reading and Lehigh Valley. Andres Blanco entered camp with an opportunity to be a versatile bench guy for the Phillies, but he hit just .091 in 11 at-bats.
The Phillies take on the Pirates today at 1:05 PM.
Brandon Apter is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ApterShock
