Wilson Valdez Likely Axed with Return of Jimmy Rollins

With Jimmy Rollins slated to make his return to the lineup, someone will have to face the axe in order to make room on the roster.

Unless something drastic happens very, very soon, it appears as though the unlucky player to get the axe will be Wilson Valdez.

But really, it’s the only move that makes sense.

Charlie Manuel has made it clear he’s keeping all of his pitchers, and Valdez is the guy currently filling in for J-Roll.

In fact, that’s not even entirely accurate. Juan Castro was Rollins’ replacement, and Valdez is actually Castro’s replacement, making him the third shortstop.

He might have survived and simply been used as an emergency guy throughout the season, but with pitchers dropping like flies the Phils seem to have decided they simply can’t part with any of them and risk losing someone else.

Valdez has been good in the field, but his hitting has been slightly below-average, to put it nicely, with a .229 average, four RBI, and four runs.

It’s not a bad line for a replacement player, but when we look back and see he had a five-game streak of hitting into a double-play, it paints a picture of a guy who has had a hit here and there, but hasn’t been able to contribute when it counts.

Valdez is out of options, so he will have to clear waivers first if the Phillies want to try to send him back to triple-A Lehigh Valley. However, it’s likely he wouldn’t make it through waivers and has likely played his final game as a Phillie.

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