As the Philadelphia Phillies look ahead to prepare for the upcoming postseason, there will be some important roster decisions that they will need to make in the coming days. Their goal will be to field the best 26-man group that will give them the biggest chance at winning the World Series.
The majority of the players have more or less locked in their spots for the MLB playoffs, but a few others are lingering dangerously on the postseason roster bubble. With manager Rob Thomson and the Phillies making it known that they're likely to carry 14 position players and 12 pitchers instead of the usual 13-13 ratio, there are more bench spots up for grabs and fewer bullpen jobs available in October.
Here, we will take a look at six Phillies players who are currently hanging by the thread in terms of their chances of making it onto the team for the playoffs.
6 Phillies players that are on the postseason roster bubble
Cal Stevenson
As Austin Hays’ replacement on the Phillies’ big league roster each time Hays had gone down with an injury, Cal Stevenson has done well in the limited playing time he has received as a result.
Serving mainly as a bench player with pinch-hitting and defensive replacement duties, Stevenson has managed to amass a .250 batting average, .708 OPS, along with two runs scored and six RBI in 24 at-bats over 18 games played. In the field, he has been spotless, with a 1.000 fielding percentage, while recording one outfield assist in 24 total chances over 59 innings played in the outfield.
Although he has recently seen an uptick in playing time that has included a few starts, Stevenson was optioned on Tuesday when Hays made his return from the IL. It doesn’t necessarily rule him out from the postseason roster, but the chances of Stevenson making it are slim given that other more solid options in Weston Wilson and Kody Clemens, both who can also play in the outfield, remain available viable candidates.