Phillies fans, your 2024 Philadelphia Phillies Opening Day roster has officially been revealed. With little turnover on the roster this offseason, most names will be familiar to fans, though there are a couple of new names to note.
Injuries and illnesses during spring training created havoc, with a pair of previously thought-to-be-determined roster spots turning into question marks late in March. That certainly impacted manager Rob Thomson and the front office's final decisions ahead of the Phillies’ delayed home opener against the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
The Phillies began training camp with plenty of optimism about their chances in the NL East this season and were focused on getting off to a quick start. Originally with just a pair of bullpen spots and a couple of bench roles for grabs at the beginning of spring training, the Opening Day roster won't look quite how the team envisioned. An illness that sidelined rookie reliever Orion Kerkering for most of March and Taijuan Walker’s shoulder impingement created a couple of last-minute openings.
Phillies reveal Opening Day roster, Spencer Turnbull claims final rotation spot
Newly extended ace Zack Wheeler will take the hill for his first career Opening Day start on Friday at 3:05 p.m. ET. The 33-year-old righty will look to prove himself as one of the top starters in baseball, with his three-year, $126 million extension set to kick in following the season.
The rest of the Phillies' starting rotation features Aaron Nola starting Game 2, followed by spring standout Ranger Suárez closing out Opening Weekend. Cristopher Sánchez grabs the fourth spot, while offseason addition Spencer Turnbull will slide into the fifth spot until Walker is ready to return.
As for position players, the usual suspects are back in the infield, with Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, and Alec Bohm resuming their everyday roles around the diamond. Edmundo Sosa will be the infield backup off the bench.
Whit Merrifield, the Phillies’ big free agent signing, will act as a veteran Swiss Army knife off the bench. He can play most infield spots but is most familiar with second base. The 34-year-old will also get plenty of reps in left field.
Speaking of the outfield, Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos will flank Johan Rojas in center field, who made the team after having the most controversial spring training in recent memory. Cristian Pache will round out the outfield from the bench.
Our 2024 #OpeningDay roster is set!#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/rhRBhY6hlx
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 28, 2024
Kyle Schwarber will serve as the primary DH this season, while veteran backstop J.T. Realmuto will catch most games again, with Garrett Stubbs returning as the rarely-used backup.
The Phillies bullpen will feature five returnees, with José Alvarado, Gregory Soto, Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez, and Matt Strahm all resuming their relief roles. Yunior Marte, Connor Brogdon, and Luis Ortiz will take the last three spots for Opening Day, although one of them will eventually be demoted to make room for Kerkering once the youngster has had a chance to get built up.
Get ready, Phillies faithful. It's going to be an exciting season. The Phillies will begin their march toward the postseason and, hopefully, a World Series on Friday, and we have at least six months of baseball to look forward to.