2 Phillies players who’ve earned more playing time, 1 who deserves less
Which Phillies players should see more action and which should have their playing time cut back?
With many anticipating a big year ahead for the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the commencement of the 2024 MLB season, they have gotten off to a less-than-stellar start. They currently sport a 6-6 record following two weeks of action.
After dropping their first two series to the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, the Phillies managed to gain some redemption by winning both series on the most recent road trip against the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals.
It's not exactly the ideal start the Phillies had envisioned in their quest to return to the postseason for the third consecutive year. At least they now have a little momentum they can build off of, as they somehow still sit in second place in the NL East division despite the underwhelming start.
In the midst of their current roller coaster start, there have been some Phillies who have been playing some of their best baseball from the get-go, whereas there have been others who have been underperforming quite a bit out of the gate. Because of that, the Phillies may want to adjust some playing time accordingly to help position the team to have the best chance at winning every time out and get them back on the right track.
Let's take a closer look at two Phillies players who have earned more playing time due to their exceptional play, along with one Phillies player who should have their playing time cut back a bit until they're out of their early funk.
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Yunior Marte has earned more playing time
Back during the 2022-23 offseason, the Phillies added some firepower to their bullpen by acquiring Yunior Marte from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for left-handed pitcher Erik Miller. Marte possesses a strong pitching repertoire consisting of a four-seam fastball and sinker in the high 90s, mixed with his off-speed slider in the high 80s to throw opposing batters off.
Considering the filthy offerings he can muster, it's quite surprising that he hasn’t achieved the level of success in the big leagues as many have expected.
Last year with the Phillies, Marte had an up-and-down season that saw him split his time between the major and minor leagues. He struggled quite a bit during his time with the big league club, as he pitched to a 5.03 ERA and 1.63 WHIP, giving up a whopping 27 runs, including six home runs, along with 38 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings. On the other hand, he showed more success down in the minors, where he posted a stellar 1.80 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, giving up just four earned runs with 24 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched.
Now 29, Marte is looking forward to finally having a breakout year and showing that he truly deserves a permanent spot on the major league roster. So far, Marte has been a man on a mission ever since the start of spring training. During the preseason, he held the opposition scoreless in nine appearances, giving up just three hits, five walks and seven strikeouts in 10 innings. Now fast forward to the regular season, he has somehow maintained his scoreless streak, having just given up one hit, two walks and four strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in five appearances.
At this rate, there’s no question that Marte is slowly but surely asserting himself as a permanent fixture in the Phillies’ bullpen in 2024. There should no longer be any worries that he will see time in the minors again. At the same time, since he has been so dominant, the Phillies may want to take advantage of that and get him into more game action, especially in higher-leverage situations, to provide the greatest benefit.
Gregory Soto has earned more playing time
After coming to the Phillies in a 2022-23 offseason trade from the Detroit Tigers, Gregory Soto was thought to be a big part of the team’s four-headed monster at the back end of the bullpen for 2023, joining Seranthony Domínguez, José Alvarado and closer Craig Kimbrel. After all, he had been lights out as the Tigers’ shutdown closer and was named an All-Star in each of his two previous seasons.
However, 2023 didn’t turn out as planned for Soto. He struggled to a 4.62 ERA, his highest mark posted since his MLB debut season in 2019. Despite recording 24 holds, he often encountered some adversity whenever he made an appearance, creating some nervous moments for the Phillies and their fans.
Even when spring training rolled around in 2024, Soto’s inconsistencies from last season appeared again. He pitched to a dismal 6.23 ERA with a WHIP close to 2.00 while giving up six runs on 13 hits with four walks and 11 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings of work. The Phillies would definitely be in for another long season if their big bullpen acquisition from the previous offseason turned into a complete bust.
However, Soto appears to have flipped the switch to start the regular season. It may be just a small sample size, but in six games, he has allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts to one walk while recording a save in 4 1/3 innings. More importantly, he has shown flashes of dominance last seen back in his Detroit days, which has to be encouraging for the Phillies brass.
The Phillies would be wise to give him more playing time to keep him in a good groove and hopefully carry that success throughout the rest of the season. In addition, he is probably a better option now compared to some of the other arms in the bullpen.
Johan Rojas deserves less playing time
Prior to the start of the 2024 season, the Phillies had their starting lineup already set, but with one main question mark. That uncertainty was rookie Johan Rojas and whether or not he can handle being an everyday MLB player. After all, the exposure of his bat during the 2023 postseason was a main focal point entering this year.
There’s no doubt that Rojas can provide elite Gold Glove-caliber defense and significantly upgrades the Phillies' outfield defense whenever he plays. However, if he becomes too much of a liability at the plate, it will hinder his overall effectiveness with the Phillies and as a professional baseball player in the end.
Unfortunately, his struggles with the bat continued this spring. He compiled a less-than-stellar .170 average and a .478 OPS, with six runs scored, one double, two triples, six RBI, four stolen bases, three walks and nine strikeouts in 18 games played. Nevertheless, he still secured a spot on the Phillies’ Opening Day roster (subscription required).
Now almost two weeks into the regular season, Rojas is starting to look more and more like playoff Rojas all over again, rather than the hitter who joined the Phillies during their stretch run last season. Due to his ongoing struggles, Rojas was given a day off on Sunday to give him a chance to regroup. It seemed to pay off as he followed it up with a strong showing on Monday night, more than tripling his hit total for the season. But through Tuesday and Wednesday, he went 1-for-5.
In nine games to date, Rojas has posted an underwhelming .161 batting average, a .429 OPS, with just two runs scored, one double, one RBI, one stolen base, one caught stealing, two walks and six strikeouts in 31 at-bats. Although he has already registered 1 DRS and has been error-free in the field, his elite defense may not be enough to make up for the severe lack of offense.
Perhaps the Phillies should reduce some of his playing time going forward, as he appeared more in the zone and bounced back in a big way after his day off. Not only would it give the Phillies the best chance at winning, but also give Rojas some much-needed time and focus to fine-tune his bat to be MLB-ready.
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