Unheralded Signing Keeps Hitting in Quest To Carve Role With Phillies

While the news of Johan Rojas' 80-game PED suspension highlighted the Phillies' lack of center field depth behind Justin Crawford, it looks like they've added a solid corner outfield option in right-handed-hitting Bryan De La Cruz.

De La Cruz signed a minor-league deal with the Phils six days after the World Series ended, looking to reestablish himself after a rough second half of 2024 and a 2025 season spent mostly at Triple-A. The appeal for him wasn't just joining a winning organization but one that possessed relatively little viable outfield depth close to the major leagues.

The 29-year-old has hit throughout Phillies spring training, going 11-for-34 (.324) with a double, home run, four RBI, two walks and 12 strikeouts. The homer came off Toronto Blue Jays $210 million man Dylan Cease. De La Cruz has come on particularly strong over the last two weeks, going 8-for-20 (.400) in his last six games.

He has made a lot of loud contact, too, with seven batted balls over 100 mph. Among the 28 Phillies this spring who have put more than five balls in play, De La Cruz has the highest average exit velocity (94.2 mph).

Bryan De La Cruz to center off of Dylan Cease💣 #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/JspYIhzBBH
— SleeperPhillies (@SleeperPhillies) February 28, 2026

Winding road

Just a few years ago, De La Cruz was a staple in the middle of the Miami Marlins' lineup, hitting .263/.311/.420 over his first three seasons with 162-game averages of 29 doubles, 18 home runs and 70 RBI. But he didn't hit after a 2024 trade deadline deal to Pittsburgh and hasn't produced much since.

De La Cruz struggled with the Pirates, latched on with the Braves, started in left field for the first month for Atlanta in 2025 and then was designated for assignment, landing with the Yankees and spending the rest of the year at Triple-A.

"It felt bad, honestly," he said last month in the Phillies' spring training clubhouse. "I didn't feel good at all during that transition to a different role. Gotta turn the page over, the past is behind us. I feel good that I performed really well during Winter Ball season back home in the DR. I just want to keep going from what I built there. It gives you a lot of confidence in yourself to perform at that high a level."

It helped De La Cruz to see so much success in the Dominican Winter League. He hit .301 with 18 extra-base hits, 40 RBI and an .888 OPS in 46 games to win the league's MVP award. He didn't just see live pitching regularly before coming to Phillies camp, he saw quality live pitching.

Roster fit

Still, despite the spring production, De La Cruz faces long odds to make the Phillies' Opening Day roster. He can play only left field and right field, and manager Rob Thomson said earlier in camp that the ideal fit for the Phils' final bench spot is a utilityman capable of playing both the infield and outfield.

"Another (Otto) Kemp, really," Thomson said last month. That sounds more like 33-year-old veteran and former Gold Glove utilityman Dylan Moore, who is also with the Phils on a minor-league contract.

De La Cruz has not played center field at all in spring training for the Phillies. He has 61 big-league starts there, but most came in 2021 and '22 and he hasn't played the position since August 2023.

Even if De La Cruz doesn't break camp with the Phillies, he could still help in the major leagues at points in 2026. His most straightforward path to playing time would be an injury to rightfielder Adolis Garcia, but he could also find his way up if a bench player gets hurt.

"Have the mindset that I'm the best guy for the situation they're calling me into," he said of the opportunity ahead. "Have in mind that I'm the guy for any spot.

"Pressure is always going to be there. You just have to be able to handle it and learn new ways to handle it and not overthink. When it's an at-bat, try to slow things down. Results are not always going to be there, maybe things don't go as planned every single day you're out there, but you've got to prepare mentally and physically to be able to perform."

De La Cruz has learned from his experiences with the Pirates, Braves and Yankees, and while his goal is to become an everyday player again, he realizes that he can control only his performance, not decision-making above him.

If he doesn't make the Opening Day roster, De La Cruz will go to Triple-A and likely bat third or fourth for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He played 91 games last season with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and hit .271/.340/.456 with 14 doubles and 15 homers.

The Phillies have seven days and six nights left in Florida before flying north for the regular season. Their final spring training game is on March 23 in Clearwater against the Rays. A slew of spring cuts will come between now and then, though the decision with De La Cruz could wait until the end.