Weston Wilson
This isn't anything personal against Weston Wilson, who has done more than enough for the Phillies this season. Unfortunately, if you're looking at the bench spots available, even if the Phillies carry 14 position players, there's a chance Wilson will be the odd man out.
As a righty, he won't get a roster spot ahead of Edmundo Sosa, Johan Rojas or Austin Hays, who has turned a corner in his recovery (subscription required) and is close to returning to action, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Alex Coffey.
Wilson has really good numbers if you just look at his line for the season. Ahead of Friday’s action, he's batting .293/.349/.507 with three home runs, four doubles and eight RBI in 83 plate appearances over 36 games. However, if you dig in a little, those numbers don't tell the whole story.
He has had a huge impact in a very short time this season. He was blistering hot for a stretch of 26 plate appearances from the end of July 31 to Aug. 24, a run that included his epic cycle against the Washington Nationals. He batted .520/.538/1.000 with a pair of home runs, four doubles and a triple during this hot streak and helped the team get out of its post-All-Star break rut.
Outside of that streak, the 30-year-old hasn't had much of an impact. He slashed .192/.214/.308 in 28 plate appearances before his hot stretch, and since Aug. 25 is slashing .167/.310/.208 with a 37.9 percent strikeout rate in 29 plate appearances before Friday.
If he doesn't make the Phillies' postseason roster, he'll likely be one of the players considered as the next man up in case of an injury. He's deserving of that, but it will be hard to carry such a cold bat into the playoffs, even if just on the bench.