The Philadelphia Phillies appear to have one bench job open for position players. In addition to the starting lineup guys, Otto Kemp and Edmundo Sosa are in. Kemp is likely to see some time as a right-handed hitting platoon partner with Brandon Marsh in left field this season while Sosa will do his usual infield tour of various positions.
Rafael Marchan and Garrett Stubbs are technically still in a battle for the backup catcher’s spot, but it would appear that Marchan, who covered the role last season, has the inside track. Both players are out of options, so it’s likely that whichever one wouldn’t get the job would be claimed by another team on waivers if the Phillies wanted to send them down to Triple-A. Marchan won the job last season primarily because he was already out of options and Stuffs was not. The result was that Stubbs became the primary catcher for Lehigh Valley until September 1 when the Phillies recalled him from the IronPigs. Stubbs was asked at the beginning of Spring Training if he would put in some work in the outfield and on the infield as well, at both second and third base. Having played a little left field and some third base during his college days at USC and being pressed into emergency service in left field in 2023 with the Phillies, Stubbs jumped at the opportunity.
Stubbs worked with infield coach Bobby Dickerson to get some brushing up on playing in the infield early in camp. Stubbs then left for the WBC and his spot on the roster for Team Israel.
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As for the final roster spot, besides catching, if you scratch Johan Rojas, who is staring at an 80-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, the remaining players in the battle for that one spot include: Bryan De La Cruz, Dylan Moore, and Stubbs.
Moore, who actually won a Gold Glove as a utility player with Seattle a couple of seasons ago, has a locker next to Stubbs and the two spend time talking while in the outfield during workouts. Offensively, Stubbs has not had a good spring, but he was signed – to a minor league contract – because of his versatility. Last season he played at all four infield positions and both corner outfield positions for Texas. He has also played sparingly in center field and yes, he even pitched in one game. The only position he does not have on his resume is catcher.
This spring, Moore has been used at first, second, third, and in left field. He is batting .208 in 11 games. De La Cruz has also played in 11 games and is hittin g.323 this spring. De La Cruz played some center field early in his career, but has not played there since 2023 instead, sticking to just left and right field.
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Rob Thomson has talked about wanting that final bench spot to go someone with defensive versatility. Kemp can play primarily at first and left field. He can play third and second, but is a defensive liability at either spot. Sosa can play all over the infield and has worked on learning left field.
Yes, Stubbs may be able to learn new positions, but can he be relied on to play them defensively? If it’s all about versatility, then Moore will likely be the pick. If it’s about outfield versatility and having a right-handed power bat to bring off the bench, then De La Cruz gets the edge. And, if Thomson feels comfortable with Stubbs then he could well get the nod since the Phillies would risk losing him if they try to send him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Another intangible that gives Stubbs an edge is his popularity in the Phillies clubhouse and in working with pitchers. Keep in mind that Stubbs was the one brought back from Lehigh Valley last September and though he barely played, he was much like having an extra coach for the catchers and in helping to keep the clubhouse light-hearted.
Of course, even with all of the talk about versatility, perhaps the Phillies keep Stubbs and send Marchan through waivers even though he is likely to be claimed by another team since he is younger and a switch-hitter. In that scenario, Stubbs versatility will be nice to have, but he will be limited because of his role as a back-up catcher.
However it works out, we will have an answer before long since Opening Day is coming up late next week.
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