Philadelphia Phillies Reliever Rejects Demotion and Becomes Free Agent

The Philadelphia Phillies welcomed back Taijuan Walker in late April after he missed the early portion of the season with soreness in his right shoulder.

Because of how much money the front office signed him for, he was moved right back into the starting rotation despite the success of Spencer Turnbull who inked a low-profile contract with the Phillies this offseason.

Turnbull is expected to still be a major contributor for this team, moving into the bullpen with some rare chances that he starts when they go through a long stretch of games without a day off.

When Philadelphia activated Walker off the injured list, they made a corresponding move that sent Ricardo Pinto down to Triple-A. But, instead of accepting his demotion, the right-hander opted to hit free agency where he'll have the opportunity to search for other 40-man roster opportunities where he could be utilized more at the Major League level.

Pinto had an incredible opening performance, getting out of a six-hour car ride and recording a 12-out save against the Cincinnati Reds.

Unfortunately, he couldn't maintain that level as he sat with a 10.97 ERA before he was designated for assignment.

The Phillies likely always saw Pinto as a placeholder after signing him to a minor league contract this offseason, and when he struggled after his first outing, the writing was on the wall for him to be demoted after Walker was healthy enough to return.

The 30-year-old could come back to Philadelphia after exploring his options, but he might not get another shot with their Major League roster barring a slew of injuries to the bullpen.

That scenario might have become more of a reality when the Phillies called up Jose Ruiz instead of Pinto following the injury to Yunior Marte.

What the veteran ultimately decides to do will be seen, but right now he is no longer part of the organization.