The Phillies released Willy Taveras, MLBTR has learned. The Phillies signed the speedy outfielder earlier in the month, not long after the Nationals released him. The A's, who are paying most of Taveras' $4MM salary, released him in February, so this marks the third time the former NL stolen base champ has been released this year.
After struggling to produce offensively through 37 plate appearances for the Nats, Taveras moved on to the Phillies' Triple A team. He didn't fare much better in Lehigh Valley, where he hit .208/.255/.271 in 104 plate appearances.
However, Taveras can still point to his age (28), his ability on the base paths (9/9 in stolen base attempts at Triple A) and his record as a solid defender (career UZR/150 of 8.7). Taveras did post a .367 OBP for the 2007 Rockies, but it has been years since he has done much at the plate.
