Update: Thanks to reader BC for providing the latest from Scott Lauber. Blackley was not taken back by the Giants, and thus, is now Phillies property. This is a positive development.

Rotoworld sums up the situation as it stands

Rule-5 pick Travis Blackley was released by the Phillies.
The Philadelphia Daily News reports that he’s cleared waivers, and as a two-time Rule 5 pick, Blackley has two choices: accepting an assignment to the Triple-A affiliate of either the Phillies or the Giants (if they buy him back), or becoming a free agent. The Giants would have to pay the Phillies $25,000 to get Blackley righ

So there ya go. Hopefully he’d realize that he has a shot to pitch in the big leagues, possibly in a pennant chase, if he stays in Philly.

As you know by now, Andrew Carpenter turned in a gem of a performance yesterday, and everyone is raving. Scott Lauber with the recap

In their final Grapefruit League game at Bright House Field, the Phillies brought Carpenter over from the minor-league complex to relieve Brett Myers. He tossed four scoreless innings against the Yankees in an outing that featured several highlights. Take your pick:

– Sixth inning: He walked Bobby Abreu with one out, then got Alex Rodriguez to ground into a double play.

– Seventh inning: He struck out the side, including Jason Giambi and Jorge Posada.

– Ninth inning: After loading the bases with no outs, he struck out Nick Green, got Jose Molina to foul out to the catcher and caught Chris Woodward looking at strike three.

The last time a young Phillies pitcher looked so good against the Yankees in spring training, Cole Hamels was striking out Tony Clark, Derek Jeter and A-Rod in 2004. That wasn’t enough to get Hamels, then a Class A pitcher, a spot on the roster, and Carpenter’s performance today won’t win him a job, either. But Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee were effusive in their postgame praise of Carpenter, and if he gets off to a good start at Class AA Reading, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get called up to Philly.

Here’s the thing. Just like folks were getting excited over Carrasco’s great outings earlier, this has to be taken in context with Carpenter’s pro career and his scouting report. I ranked him #9 on my Top 30, and I think that still fits. He doesn’t have the raw stuff of Outman, Savery or Carrasco, but he does have the best control out of the group. He’s likely to be the first one of the group called up because he has the most polish, but he might still be behind JA Happ on the depth chart.

These performances are great to see in spring training, but they are just that, spring training performances. Carpenter wasn’t pitching for a roster spot, there was no pressure on him, and he pitched well. If he carries that over with him to Reading and pitches in the same fashion, he’ll be just fine.