Brandon Marsh, OF
Over the past couple of seasons, Brandon Marsh has been a main fixture in the Phillies’ outfield with his elite defense, as justified by his recent Gold Glove nomination. At the same time, Marsh has provided some adequate offensive production, posting double-digits in home runs and recording 60 RBIs in both his 2023 and 2024 campaigns.
However, one of his main weaknesses throughout his career had been his inability to hit left-handed pitching. He has a miserable career .214 average and .578 OPS against lefties. That weakness was even amplified last year when he managed only a feeble .192 average and .552 OPS with 33 strikeouts in just 78 at-bats, making it that much more difficult to justify deploying him as an everyday player for the Phillies.
If that wasn’t bad enough, 2025 has been a lot worse so far for Marsh. In fact, he has had a horrendous start to the season, batting an abysmal .095 with a .387 OPS, along with three runs scored, one home run, five RBIs and a whopping 16 strikeouts in just 42 at-bats over 17 games played.
Not only is he struggling with left-handed pitching, but it appears the same is happening for him now against right-handers too, which is even more worrisome. With Weston Wilson on the verge of returning to the Phillies soon, and with Marsh having minor league options remaining, if Marsh continues his dismal stretch, it may be a wise move for Philadelphia to give him a little time in the minors to work out his game. That way, Wilson can take over temporarily in the outfield while giving time for Marsh to rediscover his stroke to revert to the decent run producer that he had been previously.
Joe Ross, RHP
With the departures of key arms of both Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman in free agency during the offseason, the Phillies were hoping that their smart value signing of veteran pitcher Joe Ross along with Jordan Romano could help make up for at least some of it.
In particular for Ross, he was coming off a solid 2024 campaign with the Milwaukee Brewers, after missing the bulk of the previous two seasons due to Tommy John surgery. In 25 total appearances with the Brewers as a swing man, which included 10 starts, the 31-year-old right-hander amassed a 3-6 record with a solid 3.77 ERA, with 66 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched. More importantly, he showed no ill-effects from his long layoff in his recovery from the major elbow procedure.
While his fellow bullpen teammate Romano looks better after a disastrous start to his Phillies’ tenure, Ross certainly hasn't improved by comparison. In seven relief appearances, the 31-year-old right-hander has posted a 1-1 record with two blown saves, along with a dismal 9.39 ERA and 1.70 WHIP, giving up eight earned runs with two walks and five strikeouts in just 7 2/3 innings pitched.
Ross has yielded runs in four of his seven outings, including failing to record a single out against the Atlanta Braves on April 10 that ultimately cost the Phillies the game. His gaudy ERA currently ranks him dead last on the Phillies’ pitching staff and if he doesn’t turn his game around soon, his roster spot could be in jeopardy in the not-so-distant future.