The MLB 2023 Postseason begins on Tuesday with the NL and AL Wild Card round. The Philadelphia Phillies will be playing in their second straight Wild Card series. They will face the Miami Marlins in the best-of-three series beginning at 8:08 Tuesday night. The biggest difference between 2022 and 2023 is that this season, they will have the benefit of playing at home.
The rosters for each Wild Card team will be announced on Tuesday morning prior to the start of the games— the first game begins at 3:08 ET. Each team has plenty of decisions to make before finalizing the rosters. The Phillies are no different. While some spots are locks, there are a few roster spots that Rob Thomson and the front office will have to decide which position players and pitchers will best help the club advance to the next round.
Catchers (2)
J.T. Realmuto
The Phillies will not have a tough time deciding which catchers to place on the Wild Card roster. Realmuto— despite having an up and down 2023 season— is still one of the top catchers in baseball. He calls a good game, plays solid defense, and can still hit. Realmuto finished the regular season with the fourth highest OPS among catchers in all of baseball. The Phillies will need his right-handed bat to be effective in the series against his former club, especially as the Marlins plan on throwing two left-handed pitchers in the first two games of the series.
Garrett Stubbs
Stubbs did not have the same offensive season that he had in 2022, but he is still an effective backup catcher— especially when the starting catcher is Realmuto. Stubbs has just as big of an impact off the field as he does on the field. He is the clubhouse DJ and has been dubbed the Phillies' "vibes guy". Stubbs did not play in the 2022 postseason and likely will not get much playing time this postseason either, but he will undoubtedly be a cheerleader from the top step of the Phillies dugout.