Phillies Notebook: Vince Velasquez finally sent on his way

PHILADELPHIA — Considering the way things have gone for the Phillies of late, one of a handful of roster moves Saturday could easily have gotten lost in the mournful mix.

But it seemed the end of the Vince Velasquez tenure needed a little more fanfare than that.

Anchoring an otherwise nondescript series of transactions, the Phillies designated Velasquez for assignment. In a season that for a while looked like it could include a Velasquez career comeback of sorts, Velasquez instead is off the 40-man roster and is available to other teams via the waiver wire.

If he’s not claimed, something that would cost any interested team more than a half-million dollars, Velasquez could either accept a minor league assignment or pursue another major league job as a free agent.

“I think with part of the struggles he’s had this year, I mean, he started off so well for us when we put him in the (starting) rotation,” manager Joe Girardi said. “But then he just struggled and we just felt it was the move to do.”

Velasquez, 29, is only under contract through this season and was unlikely to be part of the organization’s plans beyond that. He had his moments, including a stretch of five starts in May in which he allowed only a total of three earned runs, though one of those games saw him leave in the second inning due to injury.

As spring turned to summer, however, Velasquez’s old habits of walking batters and making bad pitches returned. From May 31 through June 23, he made it past the fourth inning just once. On June 29, he suddenly threw a two-hit shutout over seven innings in a 3-2 victory over the Marlins, then promptly allowed 13 earned runs over his next two starts, both losses.

He failed to get a victory in July, went on the injured list with a finger blister on Aug. 2 (after allowing 11 earned runs over his previous 4.1 innings), and essentially disappeared from the radar after that.

Velasquez’s last season as a Phillie ended with a 3-6 record and 5.95 ERA. Over six seasons, he was 30-40 with a 4.93 ERA, often finishing starts with high pitch counts in early innings. This after introducing himself to Philadelphia in April 2016 by striking out 16 Padres in a three-hit shutout never to be replicated. But it will end quietly for him.

“We’re going more with the bullpen game than a fifth starter, and used relievers in those situations and we just felt this was the best thing to do,” Girardi said. “You weigh in everything when you make a move like that; roster spots, his effectiveness … his role (also). We just felt at this time it was the best move.”

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NOTES >> The Phillies brought back outfielder Mickey Moniak. Girardi’s reaction? “He’s not going to sit every day,” the manager mustered. … Phils also added Matt Joyce to the bench while putting Travis Jankowski on the 10-day injured list due to a bone bruise in his foot. They sent relief pitchers Enyel De Los Santos and Ramon Rosso back to the Lehigh Valley and brought up righty Adonis Medina. … Girardi talked a little before the game about J.T. Realmuto’s recent struggles, which have come at the plate and behind it. But Realmuto’s offensive slippage came to mind after he struck out with the bases loaded and nobody out in the fourth inning Saturday night. On Aug. 3, he was hitting .275 with an .818 OPS. After Friday night’s lousy loss (11-2) to the Rockies, Realmuto had fallen to .259 and .778. There are theories that he’s battling injury, but Girardi said Realmuto is simply, “just off. I think his timing’s off. It’s almost like he’s in-between. He’s a little late on the fastball and a little ahead of the breaking ball. That’s like the worst place to be.”