By Theo DeRosa, Sports Talk Philly staff
On Tuesday afternoon, the Phillies cut ties with two underwhelming players, as the club announced that reliever Jeanmar Gómez and outfielder Michael Saunders were designated for assignment.
Saunders, the team's big free-agent splash in the offseason, continued his awful second half of 2016 in Toronto with a .205/.257/.360 line with the Phils in 2017. He was signed to a 1-year, $9-million contract with a club option for 2018.
Outfielder Cameron Perkins (no, not Nick Williams) had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley to take Saunders' spot. In 2017, Perkins has hit .298/.388/.476 with six home runs and 21 runs batted in.
Jeanmar Gómez, who has shown steady decline since a putrid September 2016 in the closer's role, was another roster casualty. He was designated for assignment as the Phillies selected Hoby Milner from Triple-A.
Milner, a lefty, has posted a 2.60 ERA in Lehigh Valley. He's struck out 27 batters in 27.2 innings, walking just four.
