March 28 -- DAY 42: GARCIA RELEASED

In a surprise move, the Phillies released OF Karim Garcia this morning, indicating he wasn't going to receive enough at-bats to be productive. Garcia batted .305 with one home run and seven RBIs this spring.

In some ways, it seems the Phillies didn't want to repeat their mistake with David Dellucci. When they acquired Dellucci one day before the season-opener last year, they envisioned him as a left-handed hitter off the bench. But being a bench player isn't easy. Dellucci needed more than a few at-bats per week to be productive, and it wasn't until later in the season, when Aaron Rowand got injured and Bobby Abreu got traded, that Dellucci began hitting more consistently. Charlie Manuel managed Garcia with the Indians in 2001 and 2002 and said he thinks Garcia needs 250 to 300 at-bats to be productive.

Barring the 11th-hour trade that I still think is possible, releasing Garcia all but guarantees a spot for INF/OF Greg Dobbs and OF Michael Bourn. As I wrote in today's News Journal, C/INF Chris Coste (hamstring) probably will have to open the season on the disabled list. But when Coste is healthy, the release of Garcia may mean he has a spot on the team. The Phillies want to make sure Bourn gets regular at-bats, and unless Rowand gets traded, he'll get more at-bats at Triple-A than in the majors.