The Philadelphia Phillies have done well to ride a recent nine-game winning streak back into contention for the divisional crown. The club looks primed for another October run, but some cracks are still showing. Whether it’s the struggling bullpen, worn out rotation, or bench that could be a little deeper, there are some areas for the club to improve. Let’s dive into a handful of players the Phils could call up in September, and a few more we wish they would.
Keaton Anthony: Realistic
Slugging first baseman Keaton Anthony went undrafted back in 2023 after being wrapped up in a sports betting scandal, but he’s made the Phillies look like geniuses for landing him on a minor league deal. Over his three years in the organization, the Indiana-born first sacker has posted a spectacular .857 OPS.
The 25-year-old began this season on the shelf due to a broken bone in his foot, but he’s picked up right where he left off with a .779 OPS in 58 Triple-A games. The Phillies don’t need another first baseman with Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm on the roster, but Anthony could be useful as a lefty masher off the bench in September.
Tommy Pham: Realistic
The Phillies' offense has been firing on all cylinders lately, but there’s still one big knock against them: they’re far too left-handed. All of the club’s best hitters swing lefty bats in Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott. As right-handers go, it’s slim pickins with the disappointing Trea Turner, hot-hitting but untrustworthy Bohm, and decaying J.T. Realmuto. Even the previously-reliable Edmundo Sosa has been awful off the bench this season.
Considering the entire starting outfield of Marsh, Harper and Justin Crawford are all lefties, they could stand to add a capable right-handed bat to the mix. In steps journeyman Tommy Pham, a 13-year big league veteran who has spent time with 10 different clubs. The Phillies could make that number 11 if they call up the 38-year-old, who’s been tearing the cover off the ball in Lehigh Valley with an .846 OPS.
Bryan Rincon: Unrealistic
The Phillies have no need for a middle infielder at the moment, considering the fact that they ponied up for second baseman Luis Arraez at the trade deadline and neither Hell, nor highwater have been able to convince them to move the error-prone Trea Turner off of shortstop. It’s all but certain that the status quo will not change over the next month.
There's 1 way Bryan Rincon could earn Phillies call-up
However, there is one thing that can always alter even the best laid plans: injuries. What if, God forbid, Turner or Arraez went down for an extended period of time? The easy solution would be to shift Bryson Stott to the affected area, put Alec Bohm back at third and Bryce Harper back at first. Still, that would leave an opening for another infielder to receive the call for bench duties at the very least.
Is there anyone doing more this year to earn a promotion than Bryan Rincon? The 22-year-old shortstop came into this season as little more than a glove-only depth piece, but has rocketed up prospect lists with a breakout campaign at Double-A. In 103 games at Reading, Rincon has worked to a fantastic .269/.402/.500 slash line with 20 home runs (easily eclipsing his previous season-high of eight) and 26 stolen bases. Rincon probably isn’t ready to handle major league pitching just yet, but giving him a small taste of the show would be a nice reward for an out-of-nowhere performance.
Gage Wood: Unrealistic
Help us, Gage Wood. You’re our only hope. The Phillies’ relief corps is a sorry state of affairs outside of lockdown closer Jhoan Duran and breakout setup man Jonathan Bowlan. José Alvarado has gone completely off the rails, Orion Kerkering needs a psychologist, and trade acquisitions Brooks Raley and Caleb Kilian have been mediocre and injured, respectively.
The club has already played their one big chip in rookie Alex McFarlane, who immediately started seeing high-leverage opportunities. Outside of McFarlane, there aren’t many exciting relief prospects to dream of calling up. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no one tantalizing left on the farm.
2025 first-rounder Gage Wood has overtaken the injury-riddled Aidan Miller as the top prospect in the Phillies’ system and has made it all the way up to Double-A in his first full professional season. The 22-year-old righty’s blazing fastball and hammer curve give him legitimate ace upside, and the Phils have been careful to protect his arm while developing him as a starter.
The University of Arkansas standout has struggled recently in Reading, and it likely has something to with the fact that he’s more than doubled his previous season-high in innings this year. The club will likely shut him down at some point soon and consider this a wildly successful inaugural campaign, but what if they didn’t?
Wood spent most of his collegiate career as a reliever and would be no stranger to big moments if the Phillies were to use him out of the pen. Even though he’s scuffled lately, his stuff would certainly play up in one-inning outings and he would more than likely become one of interim manager Don Mattingly’s most lethal weapons. There’s a 99 percent chance this doesn’t happen, but boy is that one percent fun to think about.
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