Phillies' Opening Day Roster Won't Stay the Same For Long

Only a few Opening Day roster questions remained after the Phillies' flurry of transactions Sunday morning, and they were quickly answered with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski telling reporters in Clearwater that Rafael Marchan had made the team over Garrett Stubbs as J.T. Realmuto's backup.

Kyle Backhus, as expected, made the Opening Day bullpen, Orion Kerkering will start the season on the 15-day injured list and Zach Pop is on the roster, according to The Athletic.

This 26-man roster will not remain intact for long, though. Last year, the first Opening Day Phillie removed from the active roster was Kody Clemens, who was designated for assignment on April 23 to make room for Weston Wilson.

The first change to this roster should come two weeks sooner.

Let's go one by one:

Marchan over Stubbs

Marchan is 27 and Stubbs is 33. Both are out of minor-league options. Both have strengths defensively. Stubbs is equals parts backup catcher and assistant pitching coach. Stubbs hit in 2022 but Marchan has demonstrated more offensive ability over the last two seasons.

It is unclear whether Stubbs will remain in the organization. He would likely only leave for a big-league opportunity backing up a starting catcher. It wouldn't make much sense for him, financial or otherwise, to make a lateral move to be another team's third-string catcher rather than the Phillies'.

Mayza and Backhus

Veteran Tim Mayza and Backhus both made the team as the third and fourth lefty relievers after Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks. It gives the Phillies an even split between their eight bullpen arms.

Mayza, who ended last season with the Phils, has held left-handed hitters to a .214 batting average and .570 OPS over his eight big-league seasons, seven of which were spent with the Blue Jays. Fewer than two of every seven lefties he's faced have reached base. As an example of his effectiveness, he's held Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to 1-for-7 apiece with one walk.

The Phillies would have lost Mayza for nothing if he didn't make the Opening Day roster because he possessed the ability to opt out of his minor-league contract. Same with utilityman Dylan Moore. The Phillies replaced both minor-league deals this weekend with major-league contracts.

Backhus offers a unique look with a low-sidearm delivery the Phillies haven't really had since Hoby Milner in 2018. He held lefties to a .139 batting average last season as a 27-year-old rookie with the Diamondbacks, but he had major problems with right-handed hitters, who went 23-for-63 (.365) with a .988 OPS.

The Phillies have worked with him to correct those issues and Backhus did a solid job against opposite-handed hitters all spring.

"Just his angle is really tough," catcher J.T. Realmuto said. "If he throws his fastball in on righties, it's going to be really tough to turn on that just because it's coming in with so much angle. That's something he's been working on this spring, being able to front-hip righties with the fastball and not just throw it away. And also he's working on a changeup.

"I'm pretty sure he dominated lefties pretty good last year but righties gave him more trouble so he's been working on that side of the plate, trying to be a little more effective against righties."

Kerkering sidelined to start

Kerkering was behind the Phillies' other relievers in camp because of a right hamstring strain. He completed multiple bullpen sessions and live batting practices before appearing in his first two games of the spring this week, one on the minor-league side.

It wasn't quite enough time to get him ready for Opening Day, which is Thursday at Citizens Bank Park against the Rangers. Kerkering will spend two more weeks ramping up for the regular season, and barring any setbacks, will be activated on April 10 when first eligible.

With the Phillies off three times in their first three weeks, Kerkering should miss only four series — the opening two at home against the Rangers and Nationals and next two on the road at Colorado and San Francisco.

Pop makes the team

Pop, the lone reliever in the Phillies' crowded spring training bullpen competition who was out of minor-league options, was the last arm to make the team. He could be the first roster casualty when Kerkering is ready, unless Backhus has struggled over the first two weeks.

Pop generates high groundball rates with his sinker but has not experienced major-league success since 2022. He appeared in eight Grapefruit League games and allowed four runs on seven hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

The ace

Zack Wheeler could be back my mid-to-late April, which will force a couple more decisions, not only on the active roster but more importantly, whether the Phillies move to a six-man rotation.