After a week of speculation we know who the Philadelphia Phillies plan to take into their National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phillies announced their 26-man NLDS roster on Saturday morning ahead of Game 1, which will take place Saturday evening at Citizens Bank Park.
While much of the Phillies' NLDS roster was cut and dry, there were some questions about the bullpen mix and the end of the bench. Manager Rob Thomson has now answered those.
Phillies' NLDS roster bullpen decisions could be a gamble
The bullpen was always going to be where the biggest questions lay. And it certainly got interesting in a hurry. As expected, the Phillies are carrying 12 pitchers against the Dodgers and Thomson and his staff had plenty of options of who to add to the NLDS roster this year.
Of course right-handers Jhoan Duran, Orion Kerkering and David Robertson are there. As are lefties Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks. Leading up to the NLDS roster announcement, it was anyone's guess who would be chosen to fill the remaining four spots.
Veteran right-hander Aaron Nola made the cut, but we still don't know how he will be used — he has never pitched out of the bullpen. Even though Nola is willing, we'll have to wait and see if Thomson goes that route or perhaps has something else planned for the career Phillie.
Left-hander Tim Mayza is included on the NLDS roster as a third left-handed reliever, and that makes complete sense. The Dodgers' lineup features three prominent left-handed batters, including Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy. The 33-year-old Mayza saw limited action this season but in seven innings against lefties, they slashed just .200/.259/.240 against him with a 33.3 percent strikeout rate.
The biggest gambles are right-handers Walker Buehler, who joined the Phillies on Aug. 31, and Taijuan Walker, who didn't make the roster last October. Buehler pitched well in three appearances for the Phillies and can act as a longman out of the bullpen.
However, Walker's inclusion is still a little head-scratching. It feels like Thomson perhaps wants to reward the veteran for sticking with it and salvaging his 2025 season after a disastrous 2024 campaign. He finished this year with a 4.08 ERA but struggled down the stretch. He posted a 6.14 ERA in September in 22 innings, mostly as a starter, however.
Adding Mayza, Buehler, but mostly Walker, leaves Pennsylvania native Lou Trivino on the outside looking in. The veteran righty pitched to a 2.00 ERA in nine relief innings after being called up on Aug. 27. He also has an impressive postseason resume, even if it's a small sample. In his postseason career, Trivino sports a 0.96 ERA with 10 strikeouts and three walks in 9 1/3 innings.
We'll have to wait and see how and if Walker gets used in this best-of-five series. Remember, he was added to the postseason roster in 2023 but didn't see any action. Hopefully the Phillies don't end up missing Trivino and his playoff experience.
Our NLDS roster is set!#RedOctober pic.twitter.com/RrWOz2XfTm
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 4, 2025
Phillies' NLDS roster includes all the stars fans expect
The starting rotation was more or less already determined before the roster release, with left-handed ace Cristopher Sánchez taking the ball tonight for the 6:38 p.m. ET first pitch of Game 1. Fellow lefties Ranger Suárez and Jesús Luzardo will most likely start Games 2 and 3.
On the infield, the usual suspects are all there, with the Phillies' lineup full of stars, from Bryce Harper to Trea Turner to J.T. Realmuto to designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. Third baseman Alec Bohm and second baseman Bryson Stott round out that group, although there's a very real possibility that Edmundo Sosa could see time at second base as well.
The biggest question marks on the position player side of things will be in the outfield. After Thomson went away from playing Nick Castellanos every day in the second half, it will be interesting to see how he platoons the four primary outfielders. Harrison Bader should be the starting center fielder, with Brandon Marsh, Max Kepler and Castellanos sharing time on the corners.
Along with Sosa and likely Castellanos, the rest of the bench will feature Rafael Marchán as the backup catcher and utility players Otto Kemp (listed as an infielder) and Weston Wilson (listed as an outfielder).