Phillies Reveal Luis Arraez Status for Wild Card Round Against Braves

Will Luis Arraez be suiting up for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card Round?

Sep 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez (4) prepares to bat during the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies barely squeaked into the MLB playoffs, picking up a victory in the final game of the regular season over the Tampa Bay Rays to secure their spot in the postseason field.

After winning Sunday afternoon, the team headed down to Truist Field, where they will be taking on their National League East rivals, the Atlanta Braves, in the Wild Card Round. Unfortunately for the Phillies, one of their key contributors will not be participating.

According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com on X, second baseman Luis Arraez will not be on the playoff roster. He is being replaced by Otto Kemp, who joined the team down in Atlanta on Sept. 28.

This is a brutal blow for a lineup that has been struggling to produce offensively for the entirety of September. After being one of the best teams at the plate in August, their performance has fallen off a cliff down the stretch, which contributed to their path to the postseason being such a tumultuous one.

Luis Arraez left off Wild Card roster, replcaed by Otto Kemp

Sep 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez (4) grabs his leg with an apparent injury while running to first base during the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arraez suffered an ankle injury in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 24. He was avoiding a tag attempt by first baseman Jake Bauers after an errant throw from shortstop Cooper Pratt. Arraez was safe at first, but injured his left ankle in the process.

Philadelphia didn’t play Arraez on the injured list, keeping the possibility alive that he could be on the roster for the postseason. But at least for the Wild Card Round, he will not be available, which has led to Kemp being recalled.

Acquired from the San Francisco Giants ahead of the MLB trade deadline, Arraez has not performed at the same level with Philadelphia since joining the squad, but his presence has been impactful.

He has assumed the cleanup role in the team’s lineup, protecting Bryce Harper, who saw his performance improve drastically with Arraez behind him in the batting order. A contact-first player, Arraez added a new element to the lineup that was missing previously, and others bought in, following his lead.

Luis Arraez will not be on the playoff roster. Otto Kemp will take his place.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) September 28, 2026

It is hard to imagine Kemp being used too much in the postseason after struggling in the Major Leagues in 2026. He had a -0.7 bWAR going 2-for-25 with 10 strikeouts after producing a -0.2 bWAR during his debut campaign in 2025.

The Phillies moved Bryson Stott back to second base with Edmundo Sosa taking over at third base for one game without Arraez. Bryce Harper came back from the outfield to play first base in one game, with Alec Bohm moving back to the hot corner and Bryan De La Cruz entering the outfield mix.

One of those two combinations will assuredly be what interim manager Don Mattingly goes with, as keeping Sosa on the bench for late-game situations could be something he prefers to do.