CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Phillies suffered a crushing loss in Spring Training, when Rhys Hoskins tore the ACL in his left knee. He will not play this season, barring a miracle.
Hoskins' injury changed how the Phillies built their Opening Day roster, which the club announced ahead of Thursday's Opening Day battle with the Rangers. Five players had been competing for two bench jobs, but with Hoskins' injury, Darick Hall became the team’s first baseman. Jake Cave and Dalton Guthrie nabbed the final bench spots on the 26-man roster, but that is likely temporary after Philadelphia acquired outfielder Cristian Pache from Oakland on Wednesday afternoon. Pache has not joined the club yet, but he will take one of those bench spots when he does.
Here is a look at the Phillies' 2023 Opening Day roster:
Catchers (2): J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs
Realmuto is the best catcher in baseball, according to Johnny Bench and others. Stubbs posted 1.1 WAR as a batter as Realmuto’s backup, making him the most productive Phillies backup catcher (150 or fewer plate appearances) since Todd Pratt (1.3 WAR) in 2002.
First base (1): Darick Hall
Hoskins will be missed. He has been one of baseball’s most productive hitters since his MLB debut on Aug. 10, 2017.
Hall will have to pick up the slack, at least against right-handed pitching. He batted .250 with nine home runs, 16 RBIs and an .804 OPS in 142 plate appearances last season, serving as the Phillies’ DH while Bryce Harper recovered from a broken left thumb. Hall has shown good things this spring, hitting the ball hard and the opposite way while also having more competitive at-bats against lefties.
It remains to be seen how much manager Rob Thomson will play Hall against lefties. (Hall faced them only 12 times last year.) Thomson said the Phillies can slide Alec Bohm from third to first against tough left-handed pitchers, although he said it will not happen too often.
Second base (1): Bryson Stott
Stott slashed .286/.338/.418 from Aug. 4 through the end of the regular season. Stott expects to take another step forward this year, which includes better results against fastballs.
Shortstop (1): Trea Turner
Philadelphia fans were already excited about seeing Turner in a Phillies uniform. Then Turner smashed five home runs for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Third base (1): Alec Bohm
Bohm came to camp in February bigger and stronger. He has been hitting the ball hard to all fields, a byproduct of his strength gain and an improved approach at the plate. It has a lot of people thinking Bohm is ready to take a significant jump in production.
Outfielders (5): Nick Castellanos, Jake Cave, Dalton Guthrie, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber
Castellanos, Schwarber and Marsh are the everyday outfielders, which is not a surprise. The Phillies have said since Harper’s surgery that he could be back by mid-July, but they left the door open for a return in late May by not placing him on the 60-day injured list. A June return seems the most likely. The priority is getting Harper back to DH. If he plays right field at all this season, it won’t happen until the very end.
It's the other two spots -- held by Cave and Guthrie -- that were question marks coming into camp. Scott Kingery and Kody Clemens were also competing for those final bench spots, but they will begin the season in the Minors. Pache will also take one of those reserve roles when he reports to the club, replacing either Cave or Guthrie.
Utility players (2): Josh Harrison, Edmundo Sosa
Harrison and Sosa, like Stubbs, were always locks to make the bench. Both are versatile and each has a big league contract.
Starting pitchers (5): Aaron Nola, Bailey Falter, Matt Strahm, Taijuan Walker and Zack Wheeler
Everybody knew the first three spots were locks with Wheeler, Nola and Walker. Ranger Suárez was a lock, too, but he is battling inflammation in his left elbow and he will not be ready to start the season. The Phillies said they do not think the injury is serious, but time will tell.
Falter entered camp competing with Andrew Painter for the No. 5 job, but he became a lock once Painter suffered a sprained proximal UCL in his right elbow. Strahm signed a two-year, $15 million contract in December to be a high-leverage reliever in the bullpen, but he has started in the past. He will provide the Phillies some length as a temporary starter until Suárez returns.
Relief pitchers (8): José Alvarado, Andrew Bellatti, Connor Brogdon, Seranthony Domínguez, Craig Kimbrel, Yunior Marte, Gregory Soto and Andrew Vasquez
Seven of the eight bullpen jobs were locked up, until the Phillies moved Strahm into the rotation. Marte had been the obvious choice for a spot based on an impressive spring. Thomson has raved about him since the beginning of camp. Vasquez, who got an opportunity because of Suárez's injury, rounds out the Opening Day bullpen after a solid showing in Clearwater.