Formerly Hard-Throwing Lefty Won't Be On Phillies Opening Day Roster

The Phillies' bullpen picture continues to clear up in the final weekend of spring training, with the team reassigning another reliever to minor-league camp on Friday: left-hander Genesis Cabrera.

The Phils are down to 40 players on their spring training roster, but the actual number is 37 because Zack Wheeler is still ramping up from September thoracic outlet surgery, Daniel Robert hasn't pitched in games this month after dealing with a cardiovascular issue to end 2025, and Max Lazar has missed the last week-plus with an abdominal/oblique injury.

The Phils will need to make 11 more cuts between now and Opening Day, which is Thursday at Citizens Bank Park against the Texas Rangers. Cristopher Sanchez will be opposed by Nate Eovaldi.

Declining velo

Cabrera used to throw very hard, averaging 97.8 mph with his sinker in 2021, his best season with the Cardinals. In fact, the only three lefties since 2021 who have thrown at least 1,000 four-seam fastballs with better average velocity than him have been Aroldis Chapman, Tanner Scott and Garrett Crochet.

But Cabrera's velocity and effectiveness have steadily diminished. His sinker averaged 94.6 this spring.

Cabrera made 98 appearances with a 3.34 ERA despite middling peripherals for the Blue Jays in 2023 and '24, then pitched for four different teams last season: the Mets, Cubs, Pirates and Twins. He finished with a 6.54 ERA, allowing a whopping 12 home runs in just 42⅔ innings.

The Phillies signed him just before Christmas to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training. He allowed two runs over seven innings in Grapefruit League play. He will likely begin the season at Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Updated bullpen picture

It is assumed here at this point that lefty Kyle Backhus has claimed a spot in the Phillies' bullpen with his effective spring and unique look with a low-sidearm delivery.

If Orion Kerkering is ready for Opening Day, it would leave just one vacancy in the Phillies' season-opening 'pen. Kerkering was slowed in camp by a right hamstring strain but pitched in his first Grapefruit League game on Friday after appearing in a minor-league game earlier in the week.

In his inning against the Tigers, Kerkering allowed a run on two hits with one strikeout, throwing 10 of 16 pitches for strikes. He faced Javier Baez, Parker Meadows, Kerry Carpenter and Gleyber Torres, whiffing Torres to end the inning. His fastball sat 95-96.

If Kerkering is not ready by Thursday, he could stay back for two more weeks in Clearwater to continue building up before joining the team as early as April 10.

And if Kerkering's not ready, it would open up a second spot for one of the relievers battling to make the Phillies' roster out of camp. The arms remaining in that group are Zach Pop, Zach McCambley, Chase Shugart, Lou Trivino, Tim Mayza and Jonathan Hernandez.

Mayza is the only lefty among them, and if Backhus is indeed on the roster, the Phillies would probably lean more toward a fifth right-hander than a fourth lefty in their bullpen. He and Trivino possess the ability to opt out of their minor-league contracts on Saturday (today) since they have at least six years of MLB service time and ended last season on a team's 40-man roster.

McCambley is a Rule 5 pick. If he's not on the Opening Day roster, the Phillies would have to try to pass him through waivers or offer him back to the Marlins for $50,000 if he clears. He would remain in the Phillies' organization only if no team claims him and Miami passes.

Two members of the Phils' crowded Opening Day bullpen competition were eliminated this week as Seth Johnson and Nolan Hoffman were optioned to Triple-A. Lazar is also out of the mix for now after returning early from the World Baseball Classic with his injury. He appeared in one game for Team Israel.

The Cabrera backstory

Cabrera is best known by Phillies fans for throwing the 97 mph fastball that struck Bryce Harper in the face in April 2021 in St. Louis. Somehow, Harper escaped the incident without major injury and not only continued to play but won his second National League MVP award that season, only continuing his Hall of Fame pace since.

What made the situation even more unique was Harper's reaction. He didn't charge the mound, fume or criticize Cabrera postgame. Instead, he reached out to then-Cardinals manager Mike Shildt to tell Cabrera not to sweat it.

Six months later, the St. Louis Sports Commission honored Harper with the Musial Award in recognition of exceptional sportsmanship, named, of course, after Cardinals legend Stan Musial.

"I mean, I got hit in the face, shoot, four years ago with 98, just bang," Harper said last month on the Bussin With the Boys podcast. "It was probably the scariest moment on a baseball field I've ever had, and it took me a minute to come back.

"I went to the ground and I pressed on my face as hard as I could just to see if it was broken and it wasn't. ... I've seen guys get hit before and their face is just gone, surgery here, surgery there. I had nothing."

Cabrera had made 42 big-league appearances before that night against the Phillies. He lasted another year and a half with the Cardinals and has bounced around to six different organizations since.