Phillies Release Cust, Heilman

The Phillies have released minor leaguers Jack Cust and Aaron Heilman, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadephia Inquirer.

Cust was signed just last week and had a .250/348/.500 line in 23 Triple-A plate appearances.  The Phillies are known to be looking for a left-handed bench bat, though Cust's lack of pinch-hitting success made him a less-than-ideal fit for the role.  This is the veteran slugger's second release in the month after being cut loose by the Mariners on August 4.   

Heilman, 32, signed with the Phils last month after being released by the D'Backs.  Heilman posted a 6.88 ERA in 32 appearances coming out of the Arizona bullpen this season and his struggles continued in Philadelphia's minor league system — an 8.38 ERA in 9 1/3 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.