Pitcher Kris Benson, signed by the Phillies last off-season to provide depth in the rotation, got his release from the team today: 

The Phillies have released triple-A Lehigh Valley righthander Kris Benson.

The Phillies signed Benson to a minor-league contract in Februrary with the idea that he could plug into the rotation sometime before June 1. But because of injuries, Benson progressed much more slowly than they had hoped. So the Phillies moved forward and acquired Joe Blanton before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, which eliminated the possibility that Benson would pitch in the Phillies rotation this season.

Benson went 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA in 11 starts for Lehigh Valley. Even with the brief demotion of Brett Myers earlier this season and the total collapse of Adam Eaton, he never seemed particularly close to getting a big-league roster spot. The Phillies' decision before the second game against the Mets on Wednesday to recall rookie Andrew Carpenter from AA rather than Benson, when both were scheduled to start for the respective minor-league clubs, probably was the final signal that the club had lost faith that he could contribute if called upon.