The Philadelphia Phillies released 29-year-old infielder Luke Ritter from Double-A Reading on Monday, ending a brief stay that began in mid-June.
The move was logged by MiLB.com as Reading releasing second baseman Luke Ritter, coming as the big-league club opened a series in Seattle.
Ritter signed a minor-league deal with Philadelphia on June 14 and was assigned to the Fightin Phils after Detroit released him from Triple-A Toledo on June 2.
In 45 games at Reading,he slashed .235/.350/.349 with three home runs, eight doubles and 23 RBIs. He never reached the majors with the Phillies and has yet to make an MLB debut for any club.
The right-handed hitter from Minneapolis was a seventh-round pick (208th overall) by the New York Mets out of Wichita State in 2019. He spent six seasons in the Mets system, developing a reputation as a power-hitting utility infielder who could play first, second and third.
His best year came in 2024 at Triple-A Syracuse: .257/.369/.480 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs over 134 games. The following season he slipped to .225 with 11 homers in 115 games. After electing free agency following 2025, he signed with the Angels in January, was released in late March, then briefly joined the Tigers before the Phillies picked him up.
A 6-foot, 187-pound infielder, Ritter has more than 100 minor-league home runs in his career and a career slash line around .233/.340/.418. He also appeared for Team USA in the 2024 WBSC Premier12.
That power profile is why organizations kept giving him looks even after he spent most of his late 20s at Triple-A without a big-league call-up.
For the Phillies, the signing was a low-cost depth add at a time when the major-league roster and upper minors already had infield options.
Ritter’s assignment to Double-A rather than Triple-A Lehigh Valley signaled he was organizational depth, not an imminent September call-up candidate.
Releasing him in late August is a routine roster-clearing move as affiliates look ahead to September promotions and next year’s 40-man decisions.
Ritter, now a free agent again, remains a known commodity: a veteran minor-league bat with pop and positional flexibility, but also a high strikeout rate and no major-league track record.
At 29, another organization may still see him as Triple-A insurance or a non-roster invitee next spring. For Philadelphia, the chapter was short—two months, 45 Double-A games, and no path to Citizens Bank Park.
