There still remains a battle for a few vacant Opening Day roster spots on the Philadelphia Phillies, but. just because a player earns one early in the season doesn't mean it's forever, especially if there are minor league options the team can take advantage of.
The Phillies will have players who didn't earn a spot on the Opening Day roster and will be aiming to start the year with momentum in Triple-A to potentially earn a call-up by May. The competition never sleeps. There's no guarantee everything goes perfectly, so everything will be subject to changes as performances from fringe candidates continue to be judged.
3 Phillies who'll make the Opening Day roster but could be gone by May
Kyle Backhus
The Phillies have two other left-handed relievers on their roster in José Alvarado and Tanner Banks. Manager Rob Thomson may prefer to have another for Opening Day which creates an opportunity for Kyle Backhus to begin the year with the organization.
The left-hander has done well during spring training with a perfect 0.00 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP, and six strikeouts in six appearances. He's allowed just four hits and one walk in six innings. The Phillies have other relief pitchers competing for roster spots who've also done well in spring training, including Seth Johnson, Chase Shugart, and Zach McCambley. Backhus, as with Johnson and Shugart, has a minor league option for this season.
The franchise could take advantage of Backhus's minor league option and send him to the IronPigs throughout the year. Zack Wheeler may return in April, which would send Taijuan Walker to the bullpen. Walker gives them another reliever, and Philadelphia may need to send a reliever to Lehigh Valley once Walker is moved back to the bullpen.
Otto Kemp
Otto Kemp is expected to begin the regular season with the Phillies in a left field platoon with Brandon Marsh. Entering the Phillies' scheduled Grapefruit League game on March 18, Kemp's 38 at-bats are second most on the team. His nine RBI, which are tied with Alec Bohm, trail Felix Reyes for the most on the club. While Kemp is doing well this spring, will his success carry over into April?
Dylan Moore, who, like Kemp, can play in both the infield and outfield, is expected to earn one of the Phillies bench spots due to his defensive versatility. Will the presence of the more experienced player in Moore cut into Kemp's playing time?
Kemp has minor league options as well, which Philadelphia may use if he struggles or another player in Lehigh Valley is performing better. Bryan De La Cruz has previous major league experience, who's doing well this spring with the Phillies, but isn't expected to make the team.
Johan Rojas lost his 80-game suspension appeal for a PED violation and will be unavailable to play until June 25. De La Cruz will move up the team's outfield depth chart. He could receive a promotion and split time with the left-handed hitting Marsh if Kemp doesn't do well in the first full month of the regular season.
Zach Pop
Philadelphia signed reliever Zach Pop to a one-year deal during the offseason. He doesn't have any minor league options, which may give him an edge in earning a roster spot over other bullpen pitchers who do have options if the Phillies don't want to risk losing him to another organization on waivers.
Outside of one Grapefruit League game on March 1 in which he surrendered four earned runs on three hits and one walk in 2/3 of an inning, Pop has been effective and is in consideration for one of the Phillies' open bullpen spots.
If he earns one of these relief spots that have been highly competitive this spring, Pop won't have much room for error with McCambley on the main roster and others such as Johnson and Shugart waiting for an opportunity to pitch with Philadelphia. If the 29-year-old Pop struggles early in the regular season, the Phillies have several options to replace him with.