Phillies 2024 NLDS roster: Playoff lineup, rotation and one surprise bullpen addition

After a week of waiting, the National League Division Series is finally getting started. After winning the NL East and clinching the first-round bye with the No. 2 seed, the Philadelphia Phillies kept themselves busy, and hopefully sharp, with team workouts and an intrasquad sim game at Citizens Bank Park this week, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

Now that the Phillies' postseason is getting underway, they have released their official roster for the NLDS against the New York Mets. The best-of-five series begins on Saturday at CBP. The matchup sees the No. 6 seed division rival Mets head to Philadelphia after dispatching the Brewers in three games in the Wild Card Series.

In case you missed it, we have everything you need to know about the NLDS, including dates and times of all the games and where you can watch and listen to the Phillies as they continue their playoff run.

Phillies 2024 NLDS roster: Playoff lineup, rotation and one surprise bullpen addition

Teams are limited to 26 players on their roster for the MLB playoffs. The Phillies will head into the NLDS of the postseason against the Mets with an even 14 position players and 12 pitchers on the roster, which is the ratio we had been expecting to see.

A player can only be replaced on the active roster if there's an injury, but the injured player is ineligible for the rest of the round and the next round. A pitcher can only be replaced by another pitcher, and only a position player can replace a position player on the roster during the series.

With few roster spots actually up for grabs this postseason, the bench pieces don't come as a big surprise. However, the final spot in the bullpen was up in the air all week, but now we know who the eighth arm is.

Phillies going with 14 position players in NLDS against the Mets

Manager Rob Thomson and his staff are opting to go with one extra position player for this series, with plenty of useful options off the bench with players who have contributed at various points this season.

The Phillies' bench for the NLDS will consist of backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, and infielders Edmundo Sosa (who could find himself in a platoon at second base), Kody Clemens, and Weston Wilson (who can both play the outfield in a pinch). Austin Hays, Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas will likely see rotating duties in the outfield.

Phillies taking only 12 pitchers into NLDS against the Mets

As Thomson announced earlier, ace Zack Wheeler will take the ball for the Game 1 start, with Cristopher Sánchez and Aaron Nola following in Games 2 and 3. Ranger Suárez is tentatively lined up for Game 4, although it's hard to say how much faith the Phillies coaching staff have in the left-hander after his struggles down the stretch.

The bullpen will feature eight arms, with a deep pool of high-leverage options, including Carlos Estévez, Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering and José Alvarado. José Ruiz and Tanner Banks join them, with Kolby Allard as the surprise eighth addition to the Phillies' NLDS relief corps.

Thomson had a tough choice for his final bullpen spot, but only because the Phillies lacked an obvious choice for the 12th pitcher. The almost unusable Taijuan Walker was only in the mix due to his $18 million salary. Spencer Turnbull was in consideration but didn't have a good showing during the team's intrasquad game this week.

The left-hander Allard appeared in seven games with the Phillies this season, making four starts. He posted a 5.00 ERA and 1.56 WHIP and will likely only see action if the Phillies need a mop-up arm or a bulk pitcher in extra innings.