3 Phillies players who are already earning more playing time, 3 who deserve less

The Philadelphia Phillies are beginning to see which players are off to good starts to the regular season and those who need to work on showing improvement. There are some surprises as to who is doing well, and even though the team carries a winning 8-5 record, there are some players by comparison who have begun the year in slumps.

Through the first two weeks of the 2025 season, the newest Phillies starter, left-hander Jesús Luzardo, has performed like a top arm in the rotation. He has arguably had their most unexpected performance because of how well he has done in three appearances. He has even started slightly better than ace Zack Wheeler in the early going of the season.

While Luzardo has impressed early, there are other Phillies who have also caught our attention and are playing themselves into more playing time, or at least they should be.

There are also some surprising names who are struggling to begin the year and are starting to deserve less playing time based on of their performances, and the Phillies' need to stay competitive in a tough NL East.

3 Phillies players who are already earning more playing time

Taijuan Walker

Taijuan Walker entered spring training in an interesting spot following Philadelphia's offseason trade for Luzardo. The veteran right-hander was not guaranteed a role in the starting rotation. Besides their latest acquisition, the organization had Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez and Wheeler penciled in as starters.

Walker had an up-and-down-spring training, and the only way it looked like he would receive consistent work as a starter was if there was an injury to one of the Phillies' starting pitchers. That happened, as Suárez suffered a back ailment before the start of the regular season, opening the year on the IL.

The 32-year-old has taken advantage of the opportunity presented to him early in the season. Walker dazzled in his first start of 2025, pitching six innings and holding the Colorado Rockies to only three hits. He did not allow any home runs and only surrendered one walk. The Shreveport, Louisiana, native also had four strikeouts.

The Atlanta Braves lineup presented a bigger challenge for Walker, despite the club's bad start to 2025. The right-hander allowed five hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings, more than his first start. However, he finished with no home runs allowed again and five strikeouts. More importantly, he didn't surrender any runs.

It's the first time Walker has pitched back-to-back scoreless outings since June 2023. He's now 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with nine strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings on the young season.

He's gradually gaining confidence following last year's disastrous season. But with Suárez working his way back from his injury, manager Rob Thomson may have a difficult decision once the left-hander returns from the IL.

Do the Phillies go with a six-man rotation if all their starters are healthy, or will Walker move to the bullpen as a long reliever? If Walker can maintain his consistent level of play, the organization will be better off because their pitching will possess more depth.

José Alvarado

José Alvarado looks like a trusted option in the Phillies' bullpen through the first two weeks of the regular season. The left-hander resembles a reliable reliever Thomson can turn to again following an inconsistent second half last year, when he posted a 4.37 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 22 2/3 innings.

With Jordan Romano's struggles early this year, Thomson has one less reliever who looks dependable in the late innings. However, Alvarado has filled the void. Heading into Friday's action, He leads Phillies relievers with two saves and 12 strikeouts. His 44.4 percent strikeout rate is ninth-highest in the majors among qualified relief pitchers, while his 37.0 percent strikeout minus walk rate is the 10th-best mark.

Alvarado is tied for second in appearances among Philadelphia relievers with six. His 1.42 ERA trails only Matt Strahm for the team lead. The Phillies' bullpen will rely upon the native of Maracaibo, Venezuela throughout the regular season. The club will have strength in this position group if he can be a reliable late-inning option for Thomson in 2025.

Edmundo Sosa

Edmundo Sosa has been a surprise for Philadelphia during the season's first two weeks. The 29-year-old has been reliable as a backup utility player since the club acquired him at the 2022 trade deadline and has performed well early on in 2025.

Sosa got off to a solid start in spring training. The 29-year-old finished with a .292/.333/.500 line and an OPS of .833 in 18 games. His 11 RBIs were the most of his career during the spring.

He has continued his excellent offensive start through the beginning of the regular season. Ahead of the Phillies' April 11 game versus the St. Louis Cardinals, he's slashing .458/.480/.625 with six RBIs in 25 regular-season plate appearances. Even though his total at-bats are less than half of a starter, his 1.105 OPS trails only Kyle Schwarber for the best on the roster.

The Panama City, Panama native has multiple hits in five of his eight outings in 2025. It has been difficult for Thomson not to play him in every game because of his offensive success and defensive versatility.

Due to his impressive offensive start (subscription required), per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber, Thomson may feature Sosa in the outfield more besides playing him in the infield. Philadelphia's skipper placed him in left field at the beginning of the April 8 game versus Atlanta. This was the utility player's first outfield start of his career. He made an impressive catch early on, robbing Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna of a home run.

Sosa will receive more playing time if there is an injury to one of the Phillies' starting positional players. However, due to the struggles of a couple of their starters, Thomson should consider playing him more often, at least for part of a game.

3 Phillies players who deserve less playing time

Jordan Romano

Romano struggled right out of the gate in his first regular season game with the Phillies on Opening Day. He gave up two runs, allowing the Washington Nationals to tie the game while he was on the mound in a save situation. He righted things against the the Colorado Rockies, allowing two hits, no walks and no earned runs in his two outings.

Romano then nearly gave up the Phillies' lead versus the Los Angeles Dodgers in another save situation. He allowed a two-run home run in the ninth inning and the tying run to get on base. The Phillies managed to hang on, and the reliever earned his first save of the year.

In the series finale against Los Angeles, the right-hander was charged with three runs on two hits and one walk, causing his ERA balloon to 15.75. He left the field to boos, and neither he nor the team could offer an explanation as to why his velocity was down so early in the season.

The Markham, Ontario, Canada native did not allow a hit, walk or run in his one inning against the Braves on Thursday. He'll need to put together more consistent outings like Thursday for fans to be convinced his early-season slump is behind him.

Alec Bohm

Alec Bohm ended the 2024 season negatively, leading to his name surfacing in trade rumors during the offseason. Following the Phillies series loss to the Braves, the third baseman has a .356 OPS with a slash line of .160/.176/.180 through 11 games. Besides his two RBIs in Philadelphia's Opening Day victory, he has not made a notable impact in any of their wins, registering only one RBI since March 27.

The Phillies should not bench Bohm in favor of their reserve utility players such as Kody Clemens or Sosa. However, the starting third baseman should be given a game off more frequently, especially if he does not show improvement.

Bohm is usually in a critical spot in the Phillies lineup, although the usual cleanup hitter hit seventh versus the Braves on Thursday and the Cardinals on Friday. He didn't get a hit on Thursday, as he went 0-for-5. Bohm needs to get going offensively before he begins to lose playing time.

Brandon Marsh

The Phillies entered another regular season with a thin outfield. Brandon Marsh struck out four times in the Opening Day game versus the Nationals. He rebounded the following game with three hits, including a home run and three RBIs. However, he has not had a hit since the Washington series. Following the end of the three-game series versus Atlanta, Marsh is now 0-for-19 with one RBI since March 30.

While Johan Rojas has his shortcomings, he looks to be just as good of an option for Thomson to use more often in place of the 27-year-old. If the Phillies face a left-handed starter, the 24-year-old Rojas should get the start over Marsh. The two outfielders may develop into more of a platoon in center field moving forward. Sosa is another player who could cut into Marsh's playing time.

The club's thin outfield depth and Marsh's ability to play all three outfield positions is working in his favor the most in getting playing time right now. It certainly isn't because of his bat.

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