Herrera flips bat on flyout, gets benched for not hustling

First, he uncorked a bat flip on a flyout to center field, earning mock applause from the opposing dugout. Later, he opted not to break for first base on a dropped third strike, prompting his manager to remove him from the game.

As evidenced in Tuesday's 5-0 loss to the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park, Odubel Herrera's antics continue unabated, but Philadelphia Phillies skipper Pete Mackanin continues to be patient with the flippant 25-year-old, who he noted is still in a "development stage" in the third season of his MLB career.

"Odubel does a lot for us," Mackanin told reporters, including MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. "He's just a different character. We have to deal with him in a certain way. I'll have a nice talk with him tomorrow. He's going to be fine. He just needs a reminder."

Not everyone in the Phillies' clubhouse remains as tolerant as Mackanin, though. Cameron Rupp, Herrera's teammate since 2015, was more pointed when asked about the outfielder's idiosyncrasies following Tuesday's loss, noting it's "frustrating" to see him yanked from games for mental lapses.

"This is a team thing," Rupp said. "One guy just can't not follow the rules. It's not the first time. It's happened before. It's something we don't want to see. He's a good player, but you've got to do what you're asked. Pete doesn't ask a whole lot of us. He asks us to play the game hard, play the game the right way. Guys are going to make physical mistakes. Mental mistakes are something that you can control. Yeah, it's frustrating. There's no doubt about it."

That Herrera is one of the best hitters on a rebuilding Phillies team must make it especially frustrating. An All-Star last year, Herrera has regressed some in 2017, but still leads the team in WAR (1.9) with a .753 OPS. He's been on fire of late, too, hitting .331/.383/.534 with four homers and 10 doubles over his last 32 games.