Phillies release Whit Merrifield and recall Weston Wilson from triple-A Lehigh Valley

Shortly after Weston Wilson was sent down to triple-A Lehigh Valley on June 15, he got a text from Kevin Long, the Phillies hitting coach. It was short: “Get hot, stay hot.”

They used to say that all the time, but Wilson had been struggling with it lately. He was hitting .211/.296/.390 at the time of his call up on June 3.

Much has changed since then. From June 18 to July 10, Wilson batted .315/.446/.740. He has almost as many home runs (10) as strikeouts (16). The Phillies noticed, and on Friday afternoon, when utility man Whit Merrifield was released, it was Wilson who got the call.

“We’re trying to get a little more thump from the right side,” said manager Rob Thomson. “We thought it was going to be Whit, and as hard as he worked at it, it’s a tough job, as I’ve said many times. It wasn’t coming. So, we thought, well, let’s take a look at [Wilson].”

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Merrifield, 35, was signed to a one-year, $8 million deal on Feb. 16. His contract included a club option for a second year with a $1 million buyout. For most of his career, Merrifield played every day and was determined to play his way into the lineup in Philadelphia. But the utility man struggled to adjust to his irregular at-bats and hit just .199/.277/.295 over 53 games.

Merrifield has never hit the ball particularly hard, but he reached new lows with the Phillies. Over those 53 games, Merrifield recorded a 17.4% hard-hit rate and an average exit velocity of 83 mph. Both were the lowest marks of his nine seasons in the big leagues.

“I think [it was the playing time] more than anything,” Thomson said. “He certainly worked at it. He’s always prepared. Just didn’t happen. So, again, we just decided to see what Weston can do, and see if he can stay hot up here.”

For now, Wilson will take the bulk of his playing time in left field and against left-handed pitching. Thomson said it’s possible that he will play third base on occasion, to get Alec Bohm off of his feet from time to time.

Wilson knows he has an opportunity ahead of him; now, the key is to not overthink it. Wilson was one of the last roster cuts in camp this spring and found himself putting too much weight into every at-bat over the first few months of the minor league season.

It didn’t help. Wilson hit .154/.275/.215 in April. About halfway through May, he decided to make a change.

“It was really just believing in myself,” Wilson said. “Knowing that last year wasn’t a fluke and trusting the work that I’ve put in in the offseason and trusting my abilities. It’s weird to say, but it wasn’t really mechanical stuff at all. It was more just mental. Truly believing in myself and knowing that I’m going to win each at-bat, and if I don’t, knowing i’m going to win the next one.

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“I didn’t feel like I was a .170 hitter, but that was what I was hitting at the beginning of the season. And you start to chase pitches, trying to get hits, and then it kind of snowballs a little bit, and then you’re 120 at-bats in and you’re like, dang, this is not representative of me. And you try to get it back all at once.

“I had to set a hard line saying, this is where I’m going to stop doing that,” Wilson added. “I’m going to be OK with this taking time and being a process. It’s not going to happen in five games. It’s going to be a month to two months to turn this around.”

Wilson has unequivocally turned it around and could play his way into a regular spot on this team. Outfield production has been a weak spot for the Phillies and is something they are planning to address at the trade deadline. But if Wilson can hold his own, he could make that a less pressing need.

And if he ever needs a reminder of what to do, his hitting coach will be on standby.

“That’s kind of our thing,” Wilson said. “Get hot, stay hot.”

Zack Wheeler, who exited his last start early with back spasms, will likely make his next start in Minnesota, when the Phillies play the Twins from July 22 to 24. … J.T. Realmuto (right knee pain) did arc runs and long toss on Friday afternoon. His next steps will be running on the bases more, and catching more bullpens. The Phillies don’t expect him back before the All Star break. … Spencer Turnbull (right lat strain) will likely start playing catch next week.