Sal’s Pals Say Goodbye

This is a sad day for Phillies fans (all five of us). Sal Fasano, otherwise known as the guy with the best facial hair in all of sports, has been designated for assignment.

Fasano had become a fan favorite in Philly, due mostly to his Italian heritage and fu manchu mustache. But he went on the DL a few weeks ago with knee inflamation and since then his replacement, Chris Coste, has been swinging a hot bat. Fasano says he’s really upset.

“This one hurts a lot, actually,” he said yesterday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. “It hurts a lot because I thought I finally had a home.”

The Phillies designated Fasano for assignment, which ends his short Phillies career. The Phillies have 10 days to dispose of Fasano’s contract. If he isn’t traded, he will be released because he said he has rejected his option to join triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

“We thought long and hard about it,” Phillies assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “It was not an easy decision. Sal worked hard, but he got caught up in a numbers game.”

The Phillies designated Fasano, who hit .243 (34 for 140) with four homers and 10 RBIs, because they felt that they had no room for him on their 25-man roster. Chris Coste has played well behind the plate, and they felt he deserved to stay. Coste is hitting .333 (18 for 54) with two home runs and 12 RBIs. The Phillies have 13 pitchers on their roster, but wanted to keep 13. Some of those pitchers could be traded before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

“Coste has really played well, and we feel we’d stay with him as the backup,” Amaro said. “His versatility helped.”