The Philadelphia Phillies’ biggest weakness throughout the 2025 season was the bullpen, but the outfield wasn’t far behind. Brandon Marsh endured a tough 0-for-29 stretch in April, Max Kepler failed to live up to expectations, Nick Castellanos struggled mightily in the final two months of the season and the depth was less than ideal.
Ironically, the Phillies’ outfield became a strength in the final stretch of the season. The acquisition of Harrison Bader at the trade deadline and Marsh completely turning his season around at the plate helped fuel the Phillies to their second consecutive NL East title.
The season ended sooner than expected in the four-game NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, shifting fans’ and the organization’s attention to the 2026 season. With that, the Phillies’ outfield could look a lot different than it did this past year.
New-look Phillies outfield already taking shape for next season
Kepler is a free agent, and Castellanos, who has one year left on his contract, has been the subject of trade rumors. Bader also has a $10 million mutual option for 2026, so his future with the Phillies is uncertain.
Luckily, the Phillies’ No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, Justin Crawford, is expected to make his highly anticipated MLB debut in 2026.
"[Kepler's] not going to most likely be back because he’s a free agent, and we have Justin Crawford," Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said about the team’s outfield outlook for 2026 in his end-of-season press conference on Thursday.
Kepler signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Phillies after spending 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. The 32-year-old hit .216 with the Phillies and likely isn’t in the team’s plans moving forward.
Dave Dombrowski all but confirms Justin Crawford will be with Phillies in 2026
Crawford, on the other hand, has a bright future with the Phillies. The 21-year-old was the team’s first-round pick in 2022 and has had abundant success throughout every level of the minor leagues.
“He has never been overwhelmed when he’s been with us at any level, and we keep moving him up,” Dombrowski said about Crawford’s development in the Phillies’ system. “Of course, he’s got the major league baseball background, so you really just want to see that he continues to handle himself the same way that he has.”
Crawford is the son of former MLB All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford. Having a successful major league baseball player as his father will only help him prepare for and make the transition to the big leagues.
Phillies fans were calling for the team to promote Crawford to the majors all year, but they never got their wish. The young outfielder hit .334 and stole 46 bases in his first full season at Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
“He needs to go to camp and just do what he’s basically been doing,” Dombrowski said about Crawford’s role with the Phillies heading into 2026. “He’s led leagues in hitting, he can steal bases, he’s a good energy guy, he’s a solid outfielder … I don’t know what else he really does at the minor league level at this point.”
Although Crawford is still developing his power, the left-handed hitter owns a .322 career batting average in 325 minor league games. Barring something unexpected, Crawford will be roaming the outfield at Citizens Bank Park for the Phillies next season.