March 14, 2024
There are now less than two weeks remaining before the Phillies relocate to South Philly and almost all of their 26-man roster decisions seem fairly obvious, based on what we've seen from the team so far down in Clearwater.
But there are still a few things up in the air — mainly the outfield, the bench and the bullpen.
We already took a stab at predicting the roster twice, once during the offseason and once at the start of spring training. We'll give it one more try. Here's our latest roster projection:
J.T. Realmuto, Garrett Stubbs
Realmuto has looked pretty good this spring, and has been seen hitting fourth behind Bryce Harper — perhaps a preview of their Opening Day batting order. Stubbs will return as his understudy, a role that requires some of the least number of innings of any backup catcher in the game.
Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa
There are no surprises here, though Sosa has struggled pretty hard this spring with just four hits and eight strikeouts in his first 25 at-bats of the year. Harper will be the everyday first baseman with Stott, Turner and Bohm rounding out the starters.
Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh, Cristian Pache, Jake Cave, Whit Merrifield
Here's our first real deviation from what was expected this offseason. Due to Johan Rojas' struggles at the plate and Marsh's return to health from minor surgery, it seems very possible the Phils will elect to allow their 23-year-old centerfielder to get regular at bats in Triple-A. This permits the team to hold onto two outfielders without minor league options in Cave and Pache for just a little longer. Merrifield should start in left on Opening Day (alongside Castellanos in right and Marsh in center) with a platoon situation on the bench with Pache and left-handed hitting Cave who also plays first base. Pache could be a late inning replacement to man center thanks to his speed.
Kyle Schwarber
It's been suggested that Schwarber might see left field once every week or so, opening up the DH spot for other players on occasion, but he'll be the majority designated hitter and leadoff hitter (for better or for worse).
Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suárez*, Cristopher Sánchez*
This quintet remains unchanged from last season and with the regular season fast approaching, it doesn't appear there will be anyone new brought in to start. Wheeler and Nola each signed massive deals to keep them in Philly for the next four-plus seasons and they'll be expected to have Cy Young stuff.
There isn't really any competition at the end of the rotation, as Sanchez is expected to hold the role when the season starts. There are a few contenders in Triple-A for a sixth starter/spot starter role but none will make the 26-man roster.
Seranthony Domínguez, José Alvarado*, Matt Strahm*, Gregory Soto*, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, Connor Brogdon, Andrew Bellatti
We'll skip over the first six relievers mentioned in the list above — they're all shoo-ins to make the roster. The last two spots are where the real drama is, and we're going to award them (for now) to Brogdon and Bellatti, two arms with experience over the last few seasons with the big league Phils (and in the postseason).
In our previous write-up, Dylan Covey made the team as a longman but he's battled injury issues which could delay his potential ascension to a roster spot. Our other prior choice to be in the pen was Spencer Turnbull, but it appears he will be pitching in the minors, in line to potentially start if a Phillies starter gets injured.
There is some real depth for the bullpen and the Phillies want to keep it that way, which is another reason to expect Brogdon and Bellatti to make the squad — neither has a remaining minor league option so each would be exposed to waivers if demoted.
*Denotes lefty
Follow Evan on Twitter: @evan_macy
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
