CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies have announced their Opening Day roster.
Rojas will be the Phillies' opening center fielder on Thursday against the Braves (3 p.m. ET, live on MLB.TV). Out of options, Pache could occasionally start in left field against tough left-handed pitchers. It also provides insurance in case Rojas struggles offensively and needs an option to Triple-A.
“He's improving,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Rojas. “For me, as long as he doesn't get buried, we're a better team with him at the club. We are. Just because of our defense.”
The Phillies began spring training last month with little competition for roster spots. Rojas came to camp intending to grab the day-to-day job at center, but after struggling mightily in the 2023 postseason, the Phillies said he wasn't a lock.
But the Phils wanted Rojas to be that player, so they told him to relax and focus only on his conditioning and approach at the plate, not on the results on the field. Rojas is hitting .170 with a .464 OPS this spring. He has four hits (.222 batting average), one walk, and two strikeouts in his past 18 at-bats. The Phillies have repeatedly said they've seen consistent improvement since the start of camp.
“If he has the type of game he had today and he doesn’t get a hit and he gets 18 to 20 pitches thrown into that No. 9 spot and he gets a walk and gets on base, all hell breaks loose. I guess,''' Thomson said after the Phils' 2-0 win over Toronto. “He's an exciting player. He makes people nervous when he gets on base. Any way he gets on base is great. And if he can bite off pitches, he's really good in that ninth. ”
The Phillies will have only one left-handed hitter on their four-man bench, catcher Garrett Stubbs (the remaining three are Edmundo Sosa, Whit Merrifield, and Pache). As other teams finalize their rosters, the front office could acquire another left-handed hitter before Opening Day, but even if that isn't the case, the Phillies believe they can get by without one.
Thompson could use Brandon Marsh if the Phillies don't start, or pinch hit for Merrifield, who has relatively similar career splits as a right-handed pitcher (.734 OPS) and a left-handed pitcher (.793 OPS). He said there is a possibility that he will be appointed.
“I'm comfortable with Merrifield, more than comfortable,” Thomson said.
Turnbull will start the season in the rotation alongside right-hander Tyjuan Walker, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder impingement. Turnbull will pitch in the Phillies' sixth regular season game against Cincinnati on April 3rd. Brogdon, Ortiz and Marte will be in the bullpen, and right-hander Orion Kerkeling will also begin the season on the IL.
Walker suffered a scrape in Monday's Grapefruit League finale due to an issue that occurred while playing catch on Saturday. Walker didn't feel any pain in his shoulder, but he said he felt something was wrong. Personal issues and knee issues kept him out of action early in camp, but his velocity had declined throughout the spring.
Walker said he has not received any injections to reduce inflammation in his shoulder and could play catch as early as Wednesday.
“I'm a competitor,” Walker said. “Whether I'm feeling 100 percent or 80 percent, I want to go out there every five days. I want to be out there. A lot of times last year I wasn't 100 percent. It was tough. It was tough pitching like that. So this year I want to be able to pitch at my best more often. If it takes a little bit of time first, then I have to do it.”
Walker said she doesn't know how much time she will miss. He missed more than two weeks with a similar issue in 2022, but was more developed then.
Walker and Kerkeling's IL stints begin Monday, meaning both players will be eligible to be activated as early as April 9. Kerkeling is expected to be ready by then.
Ortiz and Marte both had good springs. Brogdon has been inconsistent, but due to the lack of options, he would have been drafted had he not made the team.
“He's a guy who was on a playoff team two years ago,” Thomson said. “He pitched in the World Series and pitched great. We'd love to have that guy back.”