March 05, 2026
Jonathan Dyer/Imagn Images
The Phillies have one of the best utlitymen in the game in Edmundo Sosa, and an up and coming outfielder in Justin Crawford prepping for a big 2026.
It's no secret that the Phillies are old.
After adding 30-year-old reliever Brad Keller and 33-year-old outfielder Adolis García this offseason to a team that ranked 7th-oldest for pitchers and 2nd-oldest for hitters last season, even the potential addition of two rookies (outfielder Justin Crawford and starting pitcher Andrew Painter) won't change their old-head ranking much.
And with age comes both wisdom and a higher probability of injuries. Last season, the Phillies had remarkable luck. According to spotrac, players on their 26-man roster last season missed just 454 total days to injury. For some context, the World Champion Dodgers won it all somehow while withstanding an MLB-high 2,501 total days lost to injury. Philly was one of only four teams under 1,000 by this metric. Their health was remarkable and hasn't been talked about enough.
Can they stay healthy again? It's possible. But it's also more important than ever that the Phillies have the necessary depth to withstand over 1,000 days of players on the injured list. Here's an overview of how prepared they are at each position to withstand a setback to one of their over 30, highly compensated starters:
Behind J.T. Realmuto — who was overpaid to return for his age-35 season — the Phillies have two familiar faces in Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs who would assume the catching duties in a Realmuto absence. Both are up to the task of handling the pitching staff relatively well, but neither has the same sort of offense Realmuto does.
Whomever would be called on to catch each day would bat at the end of the batting order and any sort of offense would be a bonus. Across the majors, backup catchers aren't known for offense, so while they'd be relenting a big advantage over the competition without Realmuto, they wouldn't be losing much with a replacement-level player behind him.
The good thing about the Phillies' infield situation is there is a ton of versatility. Bryson Stott can play second base and shortstop. Alec Bohm can play first and third. Edmundo Sosa and Otto Kemp can play any position needed. It's possible they can move players around within their core infield and bench to withstand any minor injuries.
If things get more dire, the team has employed Dylan Moore — a journeyman who actually played all four infield spots (and in the outfield too) with the Rangers and Mariners last year. In a pinch they also have some pretty impressive prospects nearing major league readiness, including their top youngster Aidan Miller, as well as Bryan Rincon and Carson DeMartini. Prospect Keaton Anthony can play first — though it would take a deluge of setbacks to see him called up for that purpose. Based on the cross-positional nature of the players they have this is probably the unit that can best withstand a serious injury.
The Phillies don't necessarily lack outfield options generally speaking — they just lack good ones. The starting trio of Adolis García, Brandon Marsh and rookie Justin Crawford are either unproven, flawed or both. Behind those three, the team is hoping to use Kemp as a righty platoon partner for Marsh in left. Behind those two, it's likely Sosa would get called on to be the fifth outfielder, especially if he's not needed elsewhere.
After that it's murky. Johan Rojas is suspended for 80 games due to using a banned substance — a setback that really hurts the team's outfield depth. Pedro León has been solid this spring and looks like the next man on the depth chart unless Dylan Moore isn't needed in the infield, while prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr. is working to get healthy for the start of the season now. It's possible both of those outfielders get some run in the majors if anyone gets hurt or struggles. Bryan De La Cruz has a little talent, while former first-round outfielder Dante Nori probably needs at least one more year of fine tuning in the minors. This is a prime area for a trade deadline upgrade.
Philadelphia is entering the spring with six main big league pitchers working for five spots. Cris Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Aaron Nola are locks. Zack Wheeler is a lock when he's ready — which could be a few weeks into April. Andrew Painter looks more like a lock now that he's tossed his scoreless spring debut. And Taijuan Walker is the insurance policy ready to start in case someone isn't ready. But what about after that?
The team appears to be treating Bryse Wilson as the seventh man in the pecking order, and with a body of work boasting 461 MLB innings, he's not going to be uncomfortable with a call-up. After him there's prospects Jean Cabrera and Yoniel Curet followed by some lesser-touted minor leaguers like Alan Rangal and Alex McFarlane. Those hoping for an abbreviated stint in the minors for 2025 first rounder Gage Wood will be waiting at least one more year.
The mentality this offseason appears to be bodies, bodies, bodies. The Phillies have a pretty big stockpile of relief pitchers who have MLB experience, and while losing one of their key arms like Jhoan Duran or Brad Keller to an injury would be detrimental, they do have a ton of depth that can fill in at the lower totem pole spots in the bullpen. Here's a look at the names to know who could get opportunities (roster locks are in bold):
| Player | MLB experience |
| Jhoan Duran | 254.1 IP, 2.44 ERA |
| Brad Keller | 790 IP, 4.14 ERA |
| José Alvarado | 368.1 IP, 3.47 ERA |
| Orion Kerkering | 126 IP, 2.79 ERA |
| Tanner Banks | 253.2 IP, 3.65 ERA |
| Trevor Richards | 565.2 IP, 4.53 ERA |
| Lou Trivino | 332.1 IP, 3.87 ERA |
| Génesis Cabrera | 318.1 IP, 4.24 ERA |
| Tim Mayza | 318.1 IP, 3.87 ERA |
| Jonathan Hernández | 153 IP, 4.29 ERA |
| Zack Pop | 162.1 IP, 4.88 ERA |
| Max Lazar | 55 IP, 4.75 ERA |
| Chase Shugart | 53.2 IP, 3.52 ERA |
| Jonathan Bowlan | 50 IP, 4.32 ERA |
| Kyle Backhus | 25.1 IP, 4.62 ERA |
| Daniel Robert | 18.2 IP, 3.86 ERA |
| Michael Mercado | 16 IP, 11.81 ERA |
| Seth Johnson | 15 IP, 9.00 ERA |
| Nolan Hoffman | 1 IP, 27.00 ERA |
| Zack McCambley | None, Rule 5 pick |
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