Phillies DFA Odubel Herrera After Domestic Violence Suspension

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Odubel Herrera, a former All Star once considered the face of the Phillies rebuild, has been designated for assignment, the team announced Tuesday afternoon, essentially bringing an end to his troubled tenure with the organization.

Herrera, a 28-year-old center fielder, was suspended for the final 85 games of the 2019 season after a Major League Baseball investigation determined that he violated the league's domestic violence policy.

The suspension came from a May 2019 incident involving his girlfriend in Atlantic City.

>>Phillies' Odubel Herrera Charged With Domestic Violence: Cops

Herrera was still owed $19.5 million on the five-year, $30.5 million extension he signed with the team in 2017. The Phillies, it seems, were willing to eat that money in order to move on from Herrera.

Criminal charges against Herrera were dropped in July 2019, but it never seemed as though the Phillies saw a future with him following the incident. In fact, the team began distancing itself from the outfielder the moment the charges came to light last May, removing his banner from Citizens Bank Park long before the official MLB suspension was handed down.

As recently as this winter, general manger Matt Klentak declared that prospect Adam Haseley, who had a strong debut in 2019, was in the driver's seat for the starting center field job in 2020.

But up until the beginning of last year, there were signs the Phillies still thought of Herrera as their center fielder of the future. He appeared to be a rare gem picked in the Rule 5 draft in 2015, where teams select players with a number of professional years under their belt that have been left unprotected by other teams. He was named the Phillies lone All Star in 2016, and looked like one of the few building blocks the organization had in place for their next competitive roster.

His star faded after a down year in 2018 and a dismal start to 2019, even before the suspension ended his season.

The Phillies will use Herrera's spot on the 40-man roster for Nick Martini, an outfielder they simultaneously claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.