The Phillies on Monday released catcher J.P. Arencibia from Triple A Lehigh Valley.
Arencibia signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies last December with an invitation to spring training, but the 30-year-old failed to make the team in Clearwater.
During spring training, Arencibia hit .269 with two home runs and 16 RBIs, but with Carlos Ruiz and Cameron Rupp already penciled under contract, there wasn't a spot for him.
In 12 games with the IronPigs this season, Arencibia hit .167 with one home run and two RBIs in 48 at-bats. He struck out 11 times, had no walks and had a .438 OPS.
The Miami, Florida, native began his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, who selected him with the 21st pick in the 2007 MLB draft. He spent four underwhelming seasons with Toronto, hitting 198 and failing to hit above .233 in a season.
After Toronto, Arencibia spent the 2014 season with the Texas Rangers, where he hit .177 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs. Before signing with the Phillies in the winter, Arencibia had a brief resurgence with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015. He hit .310 with sixers homers and 17 RBIs in 24 games with Tampa.
Arencibia is a career .212 hitter with 80 homers and 245 RBIs.
