The Phillies postseason player pool has a few surprises
The Philadelphia Phillies finalized their 40-man player pool for postseason eligibility ahead of Sunday evening’s Major League Baseball deadline. There are some surprises on the list, which includes 21 pitchers, four catchers, eight infielders, and seven outfielders .
These 40 players are as follows:
- Pitchers (21):
- Right-handers: Jake Arrieta, Connor Brogdon, Zach Eflin, David Hale, Heath Hembree, Spencer Howard, Tommy Hunter, Adonis Medina, Héctor Neris, Aaron Nola, Blake Parker, David Phelps, Ramón Rosso, Vince Velasquez, Zack Wheeler and Brandon Workman.
- Left-handers: José Álvarez, Garrett Cleavinger, Adam Morgan, JoJo Romero and Ranger Suárez.
- Catchers (4): Andrew Knapp, Jonathan Lucroy, Rafael Marchan and J.T. Realmuto.
- Infielders (8): Alec Bohm, Phil Gosselin, Didi Gregorius, Rhys Hoskins, Scott Kingery, Nick Maton, Jean Segura and Ronald Torreyes.
- Outfielders (7): Jay Bruce, Bryce Harper, Adam Haseley, Mikie Mahtook, Andrew McCutchen, Mickey Moniak and Roman Quinn
Included as part of the pool are four players who are currently on the injured list: Jake Arrieta, Jose Alvarez, Spencer Howard and Rhys Hoskins.
The Phillies also included a few players who are not currently on their 40-man roster. In addition to the recently designated infielder Ronald Torreyes, catcher Jonathan Lucroy, infielder Nick Maton and outfielder Mikie Mahtook are also on the list. There are also four players who are currently on the Phillies’ 40-man roster who were not included in the postseason player pool; meaning, if the Phillies want to add any of these four, look for any of the following to be designated for assignment: Victor Arano, Cole Irvin, Mauricio Llovera, and Cristopher Sanchez.
While Lucroy is on the player pool, is worth noting that former New York Yankees slugger Greg Bird was not added, reportedly because he tested positive for COVID-19. The Phillies recently signed both veterans to minor-league deals.
The Phillies have just seven games remaining this season against the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays. Their lead for the top Wild Card spot is less than a game. They do not have a spot locked up yet by any means; and, to secure their first winning season since 2011, manager Joe Girardi‘s squad will have to win at least four more games before the September 27 season finale comes to an end.