Phillies outfield prospect Nick Williams at Triple-A Lehigh Valley has been benched by manager Dave Brundage for a lack of hustle, per Andrew Kulp of The 700 Level. On Tuesday, Williams didn’t run out a fly ball that was eventually dropped, but the IronPigs still won 7-6. Williams wasn’t in the team’s lineup on Wednesday or Thursday.
Brundage said of benching Williams, “I’ll make sure he gets something out of it. That’s why I’m having him stand next to me. We get to talk the game a little bit and some different situations, where we’re moving on certain counts and pitches, everything like that. It’s not like I don’t get to have that conversation, and I don’t want to have that conversation anymore, but at the same time, he gets the gist of it.”
Williams, 22, was acquired from the Rangers in last summer’s Cole Hamels trade. He’s the Phillies’ third-best prospect and the 58th-best prospect overall in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. He’s hitting .284/.331/.460 with seven home runs and 31 RBI this season.
Williams is expected to make his major league debut with the Phillies at some point this season, likely in the second half.
