Phillies: 4 Players Who Would Benefit from 29-Man Roster
By Matt Rappa
Several Phillies would benefit from MLB’s rumored expansion of rosters, from 26 players to 29, for the first month of a shortened 2020 season.
If regular season Major League Baseball games take place in 2020, among the several rumored caveats of the shortened season — in addition to potentially expanding from 10 to 14 playoff teams — would be early roster expansion.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, teams are expected to expand their rosters from 26 players to 29 during the first month of the season.
Twenty-six man rosters were already going to be new for Major League Baseball had the 2020 season began on time this past week. In early February, MLB increased its 25-man-roster cap by one, with a maximum of 13 pitchers allowed on the 26-man roster. This served as compensation for doing away with crowded 40-man rosters previosuly allowed on the big-league roster come September 1; instead, only 28 players (14 pitchers maximum) are now allowed during the final month of the season.
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Having 29 players instead of 26 on the Opening Day roster, in theory, would protect pitchers that would not likely be fully stretched out. There are more players in the roster to sub in and limit innings; of course, there is also the new rule where relief pitchers must either finish an inning or face a minimum of three batters.
Also, the 29-player roster proposal would help out some on the 40-man roster who did not get a full spring training March slate to showcase why they deserve to make the team over another.
Assuming the Phillies still want to keep Alec Bohm and Spencer Howard in the minors at the onset, here are four other players that could potentially benefit from the proposed three additional major-league roster spots.