As spring training officially wrapped up on Monday, the Philadelphia Phillies put the last touches on finalizing their Opening Day roster heading into 2025. But it didn’t come without a few surprises. Taijuan Walker made the rotation due to a lingering back issue for Ranger Suárez. And there was the last-minute waiver claim of Carlos Hernández from the Kansas City Royals on Sunday to solidify the bullpen, leading to Tyler Phillips being designated for assignment.
It may only have been a year’s time, but it's certainly surprising to see that the Phillies have had a significant turnover to their roster since Opening Day last season. Popular favorites Jeff Hoffman (signed by the Blue Jays) and Garrett Stubbs (sent to the minors) are no longer with the big league club, while various others have also moved on from the team. With that, let’s take a look at six former Phillies players who you may have already forgotten were a key part of the 2024 Opening Day roster.
6 players you may have forgotten were on the Phillies’ 2024 Opening Day roster
Cristian Pache, OF
It wasn’t too long ago when the Phillies acquired the once-promising Cristian Pache from the Oakland Athletics just prior to the start of the 2023 MLB season. Known primarily for his stellar defense, the Phillies were hoping for more of that plus the possibility of unlocking some of his offensive potential after recruiting him to the team. However, that never ended up materializing during his less than two-year tenure with the club.
Despite hitting just .238 with a .736 OPS with two home runs and 11 RBI in 48 games in 2023, a solid 2024 spring training earned Pache an Opening Day nod as the Phillies’ extra outfielder. Unfortunately, another disappointing .202/.288/.269/.557 campaign led to his departure at the trade deadline in the Phillies’ acquisition of Austin Hays. Pache was then designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles shortly after and spent the remainder of his season with the Miami Marlins.
Cristian Pache walks it off! #Jackie42 pic.twitter.com/MYPhj13sAI
— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2024
This past offseason, the 26-year-old outfielder managed to land a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks that included an invite to spring training. For Phillies fans looking forward to seeing Pache again when Philadelphia faces Arizona this season will need to wait. He was assigned to their minor league camp after hitting .250/.357/.250 in just 12 at-bats and will begin the year in Triple-A Reno this time around.