Phillies release 10-year veteran right-hander Bud Norris
By Matt Rappa
The Phillies have released 10-year veteran RHP Bud Norris
The Philadelphia Phillies released veteran RHP Bud Norris on Thursday from their player pool roster, according to The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro. The Phillies inked the veteran to a minor-league contract in late January, hours after the report that they signed another former closer, RHP Drew Storen, to a similar pact. Both have since been released.
Also on Thursday, the Phillies added left-handed reliever Austin Davis and catching prospect Rafael Marchan to both their player pool and the injured list.
Norris, who turned 35 on March 2, has pitched 10 years in the majors, most of which came in the National League. This past spring training in Clearwater, Norris allowed six hits, four earned runs, one home run, and two walks, while striking out three batters, across four appearances, four innings, and 19 batters faced en route to a 9.00 ERA and 2.000 WHIP.
Most recently in the majors, Norris appeared in 64 relief appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018, going 3-6 with a 3.59 ERA, 1.249 WHIP and 67-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio spanning 57 2/3 innings. Norris also notched 28 saves; a year prior in the American League, he collected 19.
Norris has also played for the Houston Astros (2009-13), Baltimore Orioles (2013-15), San Diego Padres (2015), Atlanta Braves (2016), Los Angeles Dodgers (2016), and Los Angeles Angels (2017). The Astros selected Norris in the sixth round of the 2006 draft out of California Polytechnic State University.
While Norris began his career as a starter, highlighted with his 15-8, 3.65 ERA season as an Oriole in 2014, he has since been used mostly in a late-inning relief role. He sat out all of last season due to a forearm injury at the Toronto Blue Jays spring training camp in March.
Norris appeared in the Division and Championship series with the Orioles in 2014, combining for a 3.38 ERA spanning two appearances and 10 2/3 innings.
Overall in his career, the Greenbrae, California, native has gone 67-90 with a 4.45 ERA, 1.396 WHIP and 1,153-485 strikeout-to-walk ratio spanning 1,221 1/3 innings.