The Phillies released Appel on Monday.
After missing the tail end of the 2022 season with right elbow inflammation, Appel re-signed with the Phillies on a minor-league deal over the winter and appeared in six games this spring, struggling to a 11.12 ERA over 5.2 innings. Keeping the ball in the yard was particularly problematic for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, as he gave up three home runs in his limited action. struggled with the long-ball, surrendering three of them in his limited action. Appel worked hard to reach the major-league level for the first time in 2022, but the Phillies didn't see enough progress from the 31-year-old to remain interested in keeping him around for the upcoming minor-league season. Though he acknowledged in a post on his personal Twitter account earlier Monday that the upcoming season will likely be his last in professional baseball, Appel is still expected to continue playing in 2023 if he can land a minor-league contract with another organization.