Phillies: Expanded rosters possible once the season returns
More Phillies could get opportunities once the season starts
Phillies baseball remains on hold while the country fights the growing coronavirus threat. Hopefully, baseball returns in a timely manner once the world finally feels like it has a handle on things.
Once baseball does return, we could see even more players added to the roster to help account for missed time and players having been on the sidelines for several weeks, if not months.
Phillies manager Joe Girardi commented on MLB Network that there could be expanded rosters to help pitchers return to game form.
"I think guys just need to stay prepared, and we can get ready a lot quicker than the six and a half weeks if we need to. And maybe the pitchers don’t get built up quite as much. I would think baseball might expand the rosters to 28 players if that’s the case if we’re asked to have a two week or three week spring training, maybe for a short period of time for a couple weeks…We really believe that we will go back to work, we just don’t know when."
Girardi went on to talk a little bit about all of the veterans competing for jobs in camp and the young guys who are on the 40-man roster for the first time, saying they need to stay prepared and treat this time like it’s the offseason.
If the Phillies do have an expanded roster early in the season, they could go several routes. They should have Andrew McCutchen back from a torn ACL after he was due to miss opening day in March. Roster spots for some of those veterans like Neil Walker, Logan Forsythe, or Josh Harrison are could be made more available.
Might Roman Quinn, Nick Williams, or even Kyle Garlick get more playing time in the outfield or off the bench if there’s an extra roster spot made available where they can be evaluated over a longer period of time?
Young pitchers like Spencer Howard might be able to break camp with the team as the fifth starter because his innings limit won’t come in August like it might have before. Would the Phillies bring someone like Edgar Garcia, Enyel De Los Santos, or JoJo Romero up earlier to get them relief innings?
Eventually, this will all end and this “new normal” will hopefully fade away. When the time does come, the Phillies will be back to start what should be an exciting season, no matter how long, of baseball.