Phillies give up on former Top 10 prospect having career-worst season in Triple-A

The Philadelphia Phillies have been shuffling minor league rosters since the 2024 MLB Draft and the July 30 trade deadline.

With multiple moves made by the Phillies recently, Monday's signing of outfielder Ryan McKenna to a minor league contract might have spelled the end of one former prospect's time with the organization.

Phillies release Símon Muzziotti, who had been struggling mightily in Triple-A

On Tuesday, prior to the Phillies' game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs announced that outfielder Símon Muzziotti had been released, as reported by Phillies Nation's Ty Daubert. If the name sounds vaguely familiar, that's because Muzziotti appeared in nine games with the Phillies in 2022. The 25-year-old went 1-for-7 with a pair of strikeouts in his only exposure to the major leagues.

After being designated for assignment in February and clearing waivers, Muzziotti was outrighted to Triple-A. He was invited to spring training as a non-roster invitee, but the writing might have been on the wall from the beginning, heading into a make-or-break year.

The left-handed hitter scuffled at the plate this season for the IronPigs, with a career-low .235 batting average and a .670 OPS in 240 Triple-A plate appearances. He hit five home runs, drove in 24 and stole just five bases in Lehigh Valley.

His struggles came just one year after he put up a career season in Triple-A in 2023. He slashed .296/.358/.404 with seven home runs, 61 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 524 plate appearances.

Muzziotti was originally signed as a free agent by the Phillies on July 5, 2016, and spent multiple seasons on the organization's MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospect rankings. He debuted at No. 12 in 2019 and rose as high as No. 10, where he finished in 2023. At the time of his release, Muzziotti was ranked as the Phillies' No. 20 prospect.

With a stacked outfield patrolling Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, the IronPigs had little room for the quickly fading outfielder. Muzziotti didn't stand much of a chance competing for playing time with newly minted International League Player of the Month Cal Stevenson, the recently promoted No. 12 prospect Carlos De La Cruz, Matt Kroon, Kody Clemens and the newly acquired Ryan McKenna.