4 Phillies players who might not be on the roster by May 1
By Edward Eng
Nick Nelson
Nick Nelson began the 2024 season in Triple-A Lehigh Valley before being called up to replace the recently injured Ortiz on the roster. Unlike Ortiz, who has been serving primarily in a relief role in his past few professional baseball seasons, Nelson has been stretched out as a starter by the Phillies, given the 25 starts that he made in their minor league system last year. As a result, he could serve as potential starting depth and the long man out of the bullpen for the Phillies.
But since Nelson was, in effect, replacing Ortiz, with Turnbull already taking Walker’s spot in the rotation, Nelson is being utilized as a reliever this time around. So far, he has made two relief appearances in which he has given up one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings of work.
The last time he was a major contributor on the Phillies’ roster was back in 2022 when he went 3-2 with a less-than-stellar 4.85 ERA and 1.49 WHIP with 69 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings over 47 appearances. So Nelson is looking to capitalize on his current opportunity to stick with the ballclub.
However, similar to Ortiz's situation, Nelson could be the odd man out, with Kerkering and Walker making their way back to the Phillies soon. Since Ortiz’s spot is in jeopardy for that very reason, with Nelson as Ortiz’s replacement and also having an option remaining, similar circumstances would apply to Nelson as well.
Unless Nelson miraculously surprises the Phillies brass with some exceptional performances, he is most likely destined for the minors again in the coming weeks.