Philadelphia Phillies Inching Closer Towards Platooning in Two Outfield Spots

The Philadelphia Phillies got another day off on Monday.

After their stretch of 16 straight games that started on April 8 and ended on April 23, getting handed two days of rest in the span of five days has to be welcome for a team that started the season red-hot but went through a prolonged stretch of struggles that might have been put to bed during their last two contests against the Chicago Cubs.

It also gives everyone time to think.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic examined what has transpired for the Phillies thus far and how things might look going forward in his latest piece, and it seems clear that this team is going to start platooning in both center and left field.

While manager Rob Thomson has been hesitant to outright say they are running a lefty-right lineup when it comes to Max Kepler and Weston Wilson, the action of the skipper when Wilson was activated off the injured list suggested that's his line of thinking.

And if that's the case, it's for good reason.

"Entering Sunday night's game, Kepler had a 90.7 mph average exit velocity against righties and an 84.7 mph one versus lefties. Seven of his eight extra-base hits in 2025 have come against a righty ... Wilson has hit .340/.452/.640 in 62 career plate appearances against big-league lefties. He will have his opportunities in left field whenever a lefty opposes the Phillies," Gelb wrote.

This makes the most sense.

While Philadelphia signed Kepler to a $10 million deal this winter, what they need is to get the most out of their lineup to produce the high-end results that are expected out of this group.

If that means running a platoon, something that will put both Kepler and Wilson in spots to succeed, then that's what's best for the team and should be a no-brainer.

At some point, the Phillies will also come to the realization that this strategy will be needed in center field, too.

Thomson was adamant during the spring that Brandon Marsh could be an everyday player for them by staying in the lineup against left-handed pitching despite the youngster never showing that during his career to date. But with Marsh struggling to start the year in that role, the experiment seems like a failure despite the small sample size.

Philadelphia knew they couldn't run Johan Rojas out there as a full-timer this season, but when Marsh went down with a hamstring injury that caused him to hit the injured list, that ended up happening anyway.

The good news is Rojas has looked much better at the plate.

Following a winter where the team worked with him on shortening his swing to create more consistent contact, he has slashed .265/.315/.306 with seven RBI in 55 plate appearances.

But the growing pains are still there for the 24-year-old.

On Sunday, he wasn't able to get down a simple bunt in the eighth inning, either not knowing the fundamentals about how to lay one down or just forgetting what he was taught during the high-pressure moment. And in the 10th, he made contact with the ball, but pushed it too far to where the runner on third was thrown out at home with ease.

All of that is to say, both Marsh and Rojas would benefit from running a platoon in center, as well.

Marsh has shown his ability to hit right-handers at a high level in the Majors, and the splits for Rojas when he's in a favorable matchup have also been noticeably different.

Managers need to do what is best for the team, especially when they are in a position to win like the Phillies. And that means Thomson has to make the right decisions when it comes to his outfield.

Maybe the platoon approach in both center and left will boost Philadelphia's output.

By playing into the strengths of the players he has available, perhaps that will mask the weaknesses of the group and allow them to produce on a consistent basis in an unorthodox manner.

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