Relief pitcher Casey Fien has not been with the Phillies for very long. In his short tenure with the Phillies, fans might know Fien best from Tuesday night's extra-inning outing against the St. Louis Cardinals. Fien entered in the 11th inning with two runners on. By the time his outing was over, Fien allowed both runners to score and he was charged with five earned runs of his own. It was Fien who lost his roster spot for tonight's starting pitcher Mark Leiter, Jr., but it was not for performance.
The Phillies announced on Friday that the club has placed Fien on the 10-day disabled list. The official report is that the injury is a shoulder impingement. Sometimes this is referred to as rotator cuff tendinitis.
Additionally, the Phillies made two other moves. After designating for assignment the contracts of outfielder Michael Saunders and reliever Jeanmar Gomez on Tuesday afternoon, the Phillies cut their 10-day window short. The Phillies announced that they had given each player their outright release.
When a team designates players for assignment, they have 10 days to trade, release, or reassign the players. Veteran players such as Saunders and Gomez can refuse a minor league assignment. But the Phillies gave both players their outright release, meaning they will eat the full amounts of their contracts.
Saunders was due $9 million this season and the Phillies had the option of a $1 million buyout or $11 million option at season's end. Gomez was due $4.2 million in 2017. The Phillies are responsible for all the money except for the Major League minimum if another Major League team adds either player. Both are now free agents.
