Multiple roster moves made by the Phillies spells Andrew Knapp getting a job
As Opening Day draws closer the Phillies must make several tough decisions regarding their 25-man roster.
Non-roster invitees Ryan Hanigan and Bryan Holaday have been released by the club, laying the foundation for prospect Andrew Knapp to make the team as the backup catcher.
Knapp has not recorded a major league at-bat in his career, and hit .266 with the Iron Pigs last year. A horrid spring training capped off with a .184 batting average made analysts think Knapp was destined for Lehigh Valley.
The move comes as a shock after Hanigan had a very successful spring training, hitting .389 with an OPS over .500. The presence of another veteran who could accumulate trade value made Hanigan a valuable commodity, but the numbers game fell against him.
Knapp is already on the Phillies 40 man roster, meaning the club does not have to take the chance of losing a player to make room for a stopgap such as Hanigan. The presence of Jorge Alfaro most likely starting the year in Triple-A meant Knapp had nowhere to go but the majors.
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Also being moved off the major league camp roster were Roman Quinn and Michael Mariot, who will likely play in Lehigh Valley.
Being a switch-hitter certainly helped Knapp’s case towards getting up to this point. Brock Stassi currently stands as the only left-handed bat off the bench, and Andres Blanco brings the ability to also switch-hit if needed.
With Knapp apparently getting the job, the Phillies bench appears to stand as so: Knapp, Stassi, Blanco, Coghlan, Altherr.