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The Phillies released veteran Chris Coghlan on Tuesday, per a team announcement. The move came in advance of the noon ET deadline for clubs to decide on Article XX(B) free agents.
Coghlan signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies over the winter and was a top candidate to claim a bench spot at the outset of free agency. He hit just .231/.319/.601 with five RBI in 39 spring at-bats, and ultimately did not make the Opening Day Roster over options like Daniel Nava and Brock Stassi.
Coghlan, who turns 32 in June, won a ring with the Cubs last year after hitting .250/.314/.443 and producing a -0.6 WAR season for the Athletics and Cubs in 148 games. His performance was not enough to guarantee him a major-league contract over the winter, though he could latch on with another club on a minor-league deal in the coming days.
Coghlan, the former NL Rookie of the Year (2009), is a veteran of eight major-league seasons with the Marlins (2009-13), Cubs (2014-15, 2016) and Athletics (2016).