Phillies cut ties with 29-year-old outfielder ahead of postseason

Jon Conahan

Phillies cut ties with 29-year-old outfielder ahead of postseason image

The Philadelphia Phillies have attempted to make some under-the-radar moves in recent years. They do so in their minor league system, big league squad, and many other ways. 

They did just that when they added a Brewer Hicklen to their 40-man roster. Hicklen was with the Detroit Tigers prior to that, and had some promising signs in Triple-A Toledo. At 29 years old, however, he doesn't have much experience in Major League Baseball.

Hicklen only has 10 games at the big league level, including one this season with the Detroit Tigers. 

Phillies make major roster decision

As the Phillies enter the postseason, every roster spot will be an important one. 

According to CBS Sports, they decided to move on from Hicklen on Tuesday, designating him for assignment. As a replacement, the Phillies added Rafael Lantigua, who had his contract selected after the move. 

“The Phillies designated Hicklen for assignment Tuesday.

“The Phillies selected Rafael Lantigua to the active roster Tuesday to make up for the loss of Edmundo Sosa (groin), which will ultimately force Hicklen to be pushed off the 40-man roster. The 29-year-old has spent the vast majority of the season serving as organizational depth at Triple-A, slashing .224/.319/.409 across 386 plate appearances,” CBS wrote.

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It's possible that the Phillies will make some other moves over the next few weeks. 

With the postseason approaching, nothing should be off the table. 

Philadelphia enters the postseason with a real opportunity to win it all, so if things don't go the way that the organization is hoping for before that, there will have to be some tough decisions to make.

Jon Conahan

Jon Conahan is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. A 2022 Penn State University graduate who majored in journalism, he was also a member of the school's D1 baseball team. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Heavy and other outlets. Jon makes home in North Jersey, but also resides in Cape Coral, Florida, for parts of the year. He’s an avid fan of the New York Yankees, Miami Dolphins and Milwaukee Bucks.