After the presumed favorite for the final bench spot went down with an injury, the competition for the that role with the Philadelphia Phillies is wide open.
There isn’t a whole lot of room on the Philadelphia Phillies roster for prospective players.
This is a stacked group that has stars at virtually every position, making it hard for anyone who’s not starting to crack the lineup.
Coming into spring, there was only one spot on the bench that was open barring injury, and based on the right-handedness and hitting ability that Weston Wilson possesses, it looked like he was going to be the one who secured that spot on Opening Day.
However, that is no longer the case.
He is going to miss at least six weeks of baseball activities due to an oblique strain, something that will keep him on the shelf for Opening Day.
That is a major news.
Wilson has been biding his time in Triple-A waiting for his opportunity in the MLB. He finally got more playing time last year after debuting in 2023, appearing in 41 games this past season to put up a slash line of .284/.347/.489 with three homers, 10 RBI and an OPS+ of 132 in 98 plate appearances.
That’s a small sample size, but it showcased the potential he possesses.
Now, he’s out of the mix for at least the next six weeks until he’s reassessed to determine what his updated recovery timeline might be following that point.
This now leaves three likely players in the running for the final spot; outfielder Cal Stevenson and infielders Kody Clemens and Buddy Kennedy.
Stevenson is probably on the outside looking in.
After the Phillies signed Max Kepler this offseason, there are already four outfielders in place with Johan Rojas moving to the bench, Brandon Marsh taking over in center field and Nick Castellanos still standing in right.
That leaves Clemens and Kennedy to battle it out.
Clemens has become a fan favorite, seemingly coming up with clutch hits whenever it was needed from him during his limited time in The Show last year.
But, the fact he’s left-handed could also hurt his chances of making the roster.
Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott, Kepler and Marsh are all lefties, and since the idea for Wilson securing the final bench spot was because he’s a versatile defender and right-handed hitter, that prevent Philadelphia from going with Clemens and could open the door for Kennedy.
The Phillies acquired Kennedy from the Detroit Tigers last year for cash considerations, and only because of injuries late in the season did he get called up to the Majors.
He didn’t exactly impress by going 2-for-11 in his eight games with one extra-base hit and two RBI, but he made his presence felt in the opening spring training game on Saturday by blasting a homer.
It will be interesting to see if the Phillies’ mindset changes.
When Wilson was healthy, it seemed like the organization was heavily factoring in matchup specific players for their bench spots.
But with him out, they might just look for the best player.
That gives both Clemens and Kennedy a real chance to make the Opening Day roster if they perform well, something that looked like a long shot just a few days ago.
