Ramirez Designated For Assignment

In order to make room on the 40-man roster for the returning Chad Durbin, J.C. Ramirez was designated for assignment. Ramirez, acquired in the trade that sent Cliff Lee to Seattle in December 2009, turned 24 this past August. After his K/9 IP fell below seven (5.6) for the first time in his career at Double-A Reading in 2011, Ramirez’s K totals bounced back in a relief role at Reading and Lehigh Valley in 2012 (7 K/9 IP).

In 2012, Ramirez pitched 45 innings in relief, lowering his hits/9 IP and HR/9 IP, while increasing his K-rate but saw his BB/9 IP increase by .7. Ramirez seemed to have found a niche as a reliever last season, with his successes coming on his low 90’s fastball and his bread-and-butter curve. Now, with a bullpen full of young players and veterans alike, Ramirez is without a role and the most initially promising prospects the Phillies acquired in the initial Lee trade may soon end up on a new team who is willing to take a flyer.