The Philadelphia Phillies have young players who are excelling with their Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. While it may not happen, some IronPigs players deserve to be called up based on their current production.
However, the Phillies simply don't have the room with a healthy roster to give some of the players regular playing time. If Philadelphia had more open spots due to injuries and was not a playoff contender, two players would be deserving of a promotion to the majors, and one should be sent down to Lehigh Valley.
2 Phillies who deserve promotion to MLB roster
Keaton Anthony, 1B
One of the Phillies' young players who has been a bit under the radar is Keaton Anthony. Despite being MLB Pipeline's 14th-ranked prospect in the club's system, he has put together a solid year thus far. He began this season with the Reading Fightin Phils in Double-A, totaling a .330/.380/.522 line with a .902 OPS in 49 games.
Anthony has continued to produce in 33 games with Lehigh Valley. He has a .313/.374/.433 line and an .807 OPS overall. In his last 10 games, he has been exceptional with an OPS of .917 and a .346/.398/.519 slash line.
First Triple-A RBI: Keaton Anthony!#ironpigs #minorleaguebaseball pic.twitter.com/Bg8yBoAzcP
— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) June 13, 2025
The first baseman is primarily a singles and doubles hitter as he has 31 doubles compared to six home runs in 82 contests this year. Anthony's strikeout rate has increased from 15.3 percent in 2024 to 21 percent this season. However, his isolated power (ISO) has risen from .127 to .161 while his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) has improved from .378 to .402.
Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm are the club's primary options at first base. Utility player Otto Kemp has received some playing time at the position as well. While he may not see time with Philly this year, Anthony is a player worth keeping an eye on the rest of the season and next year in Clearwater, Florida, for spring training.
Justin Crawford, OF
Justin Crawford is proving he is ready for a call-up to the Phillies. He has had a dominant season with the IronPigs. The 21-year-old is not a power hitter but is effective at getting on base and demonstrating his speed on the base paths.
He stole over 40 bases in each of the last two seasons and has 34 in 87 games this year. Crawford had a slash line of .313/.360/.444 with a .804 OPS in 110 contests during 2024. He has an OPS of .835 and a .326/.410/.425 line in 87 games this season.
Dave Dombrowski says he believes Justin Crawford is ready to play at the major league level but he needs to play and Dave says he is not sure they have the capability to have him play full-time at this time pic.twitter.com/SDN827Ucpu
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) July 31, 2025
The Phillies have had mixed production from the outfield. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently said that they want to allow Crawford to keep playing consistently, which he would not get a chance to with the Phillies, according to CBS Philadelphia's Jeff Kerr.
"We think he's ready to play at the big league level. We could bring him up," Dombrowski said after the trade deadline, per Kerr. "He needs to play a lot. I'm not certain we're in a position to do that today, but it's not something we would hesitate to bring up if we decided that was the right thing to do."
Would Johan Rojas, who was optioned to Lehigh Valley following the trade with the Minnesota Twins for Harrison Bader, be promoted back to Philly before Crawford would be considered? Dombrowski does have a point in wanting Crawford to continue to play frequently. The only way that would happen with the Phillies right now is if multiple outfielders were to get injured.
1 Phillies player who should be sent to Triple-A
Weston Wilson, UTL
Weston Wilson's role on the Phillies is as a bench player who can play multiple positions in the infield and outfield. How much playing time he gets depends on whether a starter is injured. His offensive numbers have dipped this season, with a line of .234/.335/.383 and an OPS of .728 in 29 games. In his first 29 games last year, he had a .895 OPS and a .313/.348/.547 line.
He has a role on the team due to third baseman Alec Bohm being unavailable due to a fractured rib. Manager Rob Thomson said Bohm is progressing and is on track to return soon, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Bob Cooney.
"He’s hitting in the cage. I’m sure in the next couple of days he’ll be outside hitting, do some machine work,” Thomson said, per Cooney. “He’s getting close, now. He feels good. Ran the bases today, he’ll run the bases again before he goes out.”
The Phillies manager expects Bohm will complete a rehab assignment first before returning to Philly. Once he is ready to come back, Wilson is a candidate to be optioned back to the IronPigs.
Wilson's defensive versatility will only get him a certain amount of playing time with the Phillies. He has not shown enough consistency as a hitter in the majors thus far. His future with the organization will eventually be in question once he is out of minor league options after this season.