Brandon Marsh

Phillies Place Brandon Marsh On Injured List With Hamstring Strain

By Nick Deeds | April 20, 2025 at 1:11pm CDT

The Phillies announced this morning that they’ve placed outfielder Brandon Marsh on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. Outfielder Cal Stevenson was recalled to the MLB roster in a corresponding move.

Marsh, 27, has struggled badly to open his fourth season as a Phillie. Once a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport, Marsh found himself limited to part-time duties when he arrived in the majors with the Angels due to a crowded outfield mix that included Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Mike Trout, and Justin Upton at the time. That eventually led the Angels to be comfortable dealing Marsh to the Phillies in exchange for well-regarded catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe. It’s a deal that’s generally worked out for both sides, as O’Hoppe has blossomed into one of the top young catchers in the sport with Anaheim while Marsh has been able to fill a vacancy in the Phillies outfield over the years.

From the moment he first suited up for the Phillies, Marsh has been a quality player for the club. When the 2024 season wrapped up, Marsh carried a career .266/.346/.440 slash line (116 wRC+) in a Phillies uniform. That’s strong production for an offensively inclined center fielder, and when looking specifically at his work against right-handed pitching Marsh has posted an even more impressive .281/.362/.489 (128 wRC+) over the years. Marsh has always come with his flaws, however. Notably, he strikes out more than 30% of the time and has never been much of an effective option against fellow southpaws, with a 70 wRC+ against same-handed pitching as a Phillie entering this year.

Unfortunately, things have taken a nose dive in the early going this year. Marsh has slashed just .095/.220/.167 in his first 17 games (51 at-bats) this year while striking out at a 31.4% clip. While he’s maintained a strong 13.7% walk rate, Marsh’s high strikeout rate, lack of power production, and .115 BABIP have combined to make him one of the least productive regulars in baseball this year. Marsh hasn’t recorded a hit since March 30, and given that protracted slump it’s hardly a surprise that the Phillies took the opportunity to get Marsh a bit of a reset when he tweaked his leg in the outfield earlier this week. He hasn’t played since that incident occurred on April 16, and now will sit down for at least another week. Once Marsh’s hamstring is feeling up to snuff, the 27-year-old will have the opportunity to get some reps in against Triple-A pitching on a rehab assignment before returning to the majors and looking to get his season back on track.

While Marsh is out of the picture, everyday duties in center field will fall to Johan Rojas. The 24-year-old is off to a hot start in a part-time role this year, slashing .345/.406/.414 over his first 12 games. He hit quite well in a limited look during his debut year of 2023 but struggled when given an expanded role last year, hitting just .243/.379/.322 in 120 games. Marsh’s injury will provide Rojas with the opportunity to prove himself capable of performing as a regular in the outfield, though the lefty-swinging Stevenson was promoted to the majors as a potential backup option should it be necessary. The 28-year-old has just 47 games of big league experience under his belt between Oakland, San Francisco, and Philadelphia but posted league average numbers in a brief 18-game stint with the Phillies last year. Stevenson has struggled at Triple-A this season, however, with a .192/.328/.289 slash line that suggests he’ll most likely be limited to a pure depth role for the time being.

Phillies Exploring Outfield, Right-Handed Relief Markets

By Steve Adams | November 7, 2024 at 3:18pm CDT

The Phillies head into the offseason with a star-studded roster and substantial payroll obligation, though owner John Middleton has already expressed confidence that the 2025 payroll will increase. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has at multiple points hinted at potential trades rather than free agent pursuits, speaking of a need to be “open-minded” as he looks to augment a roster that’s been a perennial playoff club but fallen shy of a World Series win (or even a World Series appearance). The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reports that the Phils have signaled a desire to add an outfielder and at least one right-handed reliever.

As laid out in our Phillies Offseason Outlook, adding in the outfield is one of the most logical pursuits for a Phillies club that has established contributors at catcher (J.T. Realmuto), first base (Bryce Harper), second base (Bryson Stott), shortstop (Trea Turner), third base (Alec Bohm), right field (Nick Castellanos) and designated hitter (Kyle Schwarber). Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas offer options in the remaining two outfield spots, but the Phils aren’t likely to simply roll the same lineup back out in 2024 after another shorter-than-hoped season. Marsh and Rojas could form a platoon, as Marsh bats left-handed to the more defensively gifted Rojas’ right-handed bat. That’d open a path for one incoming outfielder, but Dombrowski’s repeated chorus of “open-minded” approaches to reshaping his offense have prompted natural speculation about trades.

From that standpoint, it’s hard to imagine deals involving Realmuto, Harper, Turner and Schwarber. All have been viewed as core pieces in Philadelphia. The Phillies would probably love to move on from the final two years and $40MM on Castellanos’ contract, but Castellanos is a poor defender who hasn’t hit nearly as well in Philadelphia as he did in his free-agent platform season with the Reds. The Phils would need to pay down a good portion of that contract and/or include a prospect to find a taker.

Bohm, Marsh, Stott and to a lesser extent Rojas are the big league position players who could more plausibly be flipped elsewhere as the Phillies try to reshape their identity. Gelb also lists lefty starter Ranger Suarez as a possibility. Their contractual statuses are as follows:

Suarez: Controlled through 2025 via arbitration, projected to earn $8.9MM in 2025 (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
Bohm: Controlled through 2026 via arbitration, projected to earn $8.1MM in 2025 (via Swartz)
Marsh: Controlled through 2027 via arbitration, projected to earn $3MM in 2025 (via Swartz)
Stott: Controlled through 2027 via arbitration, projected to earn $3.5MM in 2025 (via Swartz)
Rojas: Controlled through 2029, pre-arbitration in 2025

Obviously, the valuation on each player will vary. Suarez would be a one-year rental for a club and would require the Phils — already in need of a starter and likely hoping to dump the remaining two years and $36MM on Taijuan Walker’s contract this offseason — to replace him. He posted a 3.46 ERA with strong strikeout (23.2%) and walk (6.5%) rates in 150 2/3 innings this season but also missed a month with a back injury and struggled from July through September. Plenty of teams would still love to plug him into their rotation.

Bohm is the most consistently productive but has the highest salary and lowest amount of club control remaining of the position players. He also cooled off considerably after a blistering start to the season. He was one of the game’s most productive hitters through early March (.360/.430/.576 in 142 plate appearances) before reverting to his usual brand of roughly average offense for the remainder of the season (.256/.302/.410 over his next 464 plate appearances). Bohm improved his glovework this year and hit righties better than usual but was still notably more productive against left-handed pitching.

Marsh can handle all three outfield spots but is best suited for left field. He’s never hit lefties well but is well above-average versus righties. He runs well and could probably pop 20 homers with a full season of at-bats, though that’d mean lesser rate stats and more plate appearances versus lefties. He’s hit 28 homers in 948 plate appearances across the past two seasons. Marsh is a useful part-time player, but his 31% strikeout rate since 2023 (and 32.8% career mark) is rather concerning, especially since he’s been platooned so often.

Stott is a plus defender and strong baserunner with 15-homer pop. He makes plenty of contact but has really only had one average season at the plate (2023), in addition to a pair of below-average campaigns during which he’s still been a solid overall contributor because of his glove and speed. If a team with budget problems and no concrete option at shortstop would view him as an outside-the-box candidate at short, his market could expand. Stott hasn’t graded as well there in 770 big league innings but has more than 2000 professional innings at short.

Rojas is an even more extreme case of the speed-and-defense skill set. He’s a plus center fielder with excellent speed but turned in just a .243/.279/.322 slash in 2024 (68 wRC+) and is a career .261/.298/.355 hitter (81 wRC+) in 527 big league plate appearances.

Dombrowski has publicly suggested that he needs to be open to trading “good players” in order to get talent in return. Speculatively speaking, Bohm feels like the most plausible fit, as he’s set to earn the most money, has the least club control remaining and plays a position (third base) where the free-agent market is quite thin this offseason. There could be paths to flipping Bohm for a bullpen arm, a back-of-the-rotation starter or an outfielder, and shedding his payroll could also free the Phillies to pursue other options at the hot corner or give them more money to address needs elsewhere on the roster.

Former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and longtime Phils beat writers Todd Zolecki and Jim Salisbury took a deep dive into the possibilities on the latest episode of their podcast. All three acknowledged that Dombrowski’s repeated phrases this offseason have not-so-quietly signaled a trade is likely. In addition to repeating the “open-minded” line on several occasions, Dombrowski has at least twice suggested the Phillies have enough star players on the roster. At his end-of-season press conference, Dombrowski said his club has “as many star players as about anybody in baseball” before adding that sometimes “the supporting cast” is where the biggest need sits.

Gelb notes in the previously referenced piece that Dombrowski doubled down on that thinking at this week’s GM Meetings. Asked if the Phils would be “big-game hunting” this winter, the Phils’ president replied: “Our ownership allows us to do a lot of things. But sometimes that’s not what you want. We have a lot of good star players on our team. So, read that as you would.”

Phillies Notes: Outfield, Hoffman, Coaching Staff

By Anthony Franco | October 10, 2024 at 11:14pm CDT

The Phillies’ season came to a crushing end last night. The NL East champs were bounced by the division rival Mets. It was the second straight year in which their playoff results have taken a step back. Philadelphia went from the 2022 NL pennant to last year’s NLCS appearance to the Division Series.

Matt Gelb of the Athletic looks ahead to the offseason in a piece that’ll be of interest to Philadelphia fans. Gelb writes that Philadelphia is likely to bring in an outfielder via free agency or trade during the offseason. The Phils moved Bryce Harper into first base, leaving them with a primary outfield of Brandon Marsh, Johan Rojas and Nick Castellanos. That’s a relatively weak outfield for a contender.

Castellanos’ .254/.311/.431 slash isn’t enough to make up for his lack of defensive value. It’s the opposite story with Rojas. He’s an elite runner and plus defender in center field but hasn’t provided much at the plate. The second-year player hit .243/.279/.322 across 363 trips. Marsh was Philadelphia’s most productive outfielder, hitting 16 home runs with a .249/.328/.419 batting line. The lefty-hitting Marsh has yet to demonstrate he’s more than a strong-side platoon bat though. He hit .192 in 90 plate appearances against southpaws this season. He’s a career .216/.276/.306 hitter versus lefty pitching.

The Phils acquired Austin Hays in a buy-low deadline pickup. Philadelphia projected Hays as at worst a right-handed platoon partner for Marsh in left field. Hays spent most of his Phillies tenure on the injured list and didn’t produce in limited playing time. He hit .256/.275/.397 with 19 strikeouts and no walks in 80 plate appearances after the trade.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Hays for a $6.4MM salary in his final season of arbitration. He’s likely to be non-tendered. The Phils could stick with utility player Weston Wilson as a platoon partner with Marsh. The other outfield spots are areas for potential improvement, though neither is without complications.

Kyle Schwarber blocks Castallenos from getting substantial time at designated hitter. There are still two seasons remaining at $20MM annually on Castellanos’ five-year free agent deal. The $40MM in guarantees is well above his market value. Philadelphia would need to eat a chunk of the contract to facilitate a trade — likely to a team that could play him at DH. They wouldn’t get much back even if they paid the deal down, which could leave the Phils to stick with Castellanos in right.

Upgrading in center field could be even more challenging. This winter’s free agent class is extremely thin. Barring a surprise Cody Bellinger opt-out, the best free agent center fielders available include Harrison Bader and Michael A. Taylor. They’re at best marginal upgrades on Rojas. There aren’t many clear solutions on the trade market either. Leody Taveras and Jose Siri provide similar glove-first profiles. The Cubs could try to offload part of Bellinger’s two-year, $50MM guarantee if he opts in as most expect.

If the Phillies were unable to move Castellanos but wanted a clear outfield upgrade, that opens the possibility of flipping one of their other outfielders. Gelb floats the idea of either Marsh or Rojas becoming an offseason trade candidate. Rojas has five years of club control and is two seasons from arbitration. Marsh is projected for a $3MM salary in his first of three arbitration years.

A Marsh trade would at least open the possibility for the Phils to make a splash in left field. They’d face an uphill battle from teams like the Yankees, Mets and Giants on Juan Soto — though owner John Middleton and Dave Dombrowski’s front office have never shied away from making runs at superstars. Players like Anthony Santander or Teoscar Hernández could be in play if Soto isn’t realistic. The Phillies could theoretically play Marsh in center field if they were to trade Rojas and sign a bigger bat to play left. That’d project as a very weak defensive grouping.

After the outfield, the bullpen is the next-biggest question. Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez are two of the top relievers in the upcoming free agent class. Wednesday was a bitter ending for both pitchers. Hoffman loaded the bases on a single, hit-by-pitch and walk. Estévez entered and surrendered the Francisco Lindor grand slam that proved to be the nail in the coffin. Yet the tough finish doesn’t negate the importance of Hoffman and Estévez down the stretch. The righties were two of the three highest-leverage arms (alongside Matt Strahm) in Rob Thomson’s bullpen.

Even with both pitchers entering their age-32 seasons, they’re on track for significant multi-year deals. MLBTR’s Steve Adams covered Hoffman’s emergence for Front Office subscribers last month, writing that a four-year contract could be on the table. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel suggested earlier this week that Estévez has a shot at four years in his own right. Even if the relief market isn’t quite that strong, both pitchers have a case for a three-year pact around $10-12MM annually.

Postgame, both pitchers expressed some hope they’d be back with the Phils. “Hopefully. That would be great, but let’s see. You know how it is,” Estévez said of a potential return (via Gelb). Hoffman was a bit more emphatic. “Yeah, that’s all I want,” he told reporters (including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com) about staying in Philly. “But it’s hard to think about right now.”

Major roster decisions will wait for the official start of the offseason in a few weeks. A more immediate question may be on the coaching staff. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted on Thursday that the Phils are set for evaluation meetings to determine whether to make any coaching changes. The Phillies signed Thomson to a one-year extension last December, so he’s under contract through next season.

Phillies Activate Brandon Marsh

By Mark Polishuk | June 15, 2024 at 12:05pm CDT

The Phillies announced that outfielder Brandon Marsh has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list, with utilityman Weston Wilson heading to Triple-A in the corresponding move. Marsh was placed on the IL on June 3 due to a right hamstring strain, so he’ll return to action after just slightly beyond the 10-day minimum.

While the NL-leading Phillies haven’t slowed down in Marsh’s absence, getting the outfielder back is obviously good news for a team that has taken a few injury hits. Trea Turner has missed over six weeks recovering from a more serious hamstring strain, but the star shortstop is reportedly close to returning as well, and could be activated from the IL within the next two or three days. Catcher J.T. Realmuto will miss the next month due to knee surgery, and utilityman Kody Clemens has also been sidelined for the last two weeks with back spasms.

Marsh was hitting .265/.344/.426 over 186 plate appearances at the time of his IL placement, pretty much matching the solid numbers he has posted since arriving in Philadelphia as part of a deadline trade with the Angels in 2022. While the Phillies have tried to limit his exposure to left-handed pitching, Marsh has gotten the lion’s share of playing time as the regular center fielder in 2022 and 2023, and as the regular left fielder this season. Where Marsh plays now that he is back on the active roster could be an interesting situation to observe, as the Phils could opt to give him more time in center field, thus making Whit Merrifield and David Dahl the regular left field platoon.

Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Marsh played in center field during his brief Triple-A rehab stint, and though Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that usage was more about giving Marsh more leeway to test his hamstring, it isn’t hard to see why Marsh might be the Phils’ preferred choice over Johan Rojas in center. Rojas has hit poorly this season, and the stellar glovework that earned him the center field job in the first place has also regressed. He has a -10.8 UZR/150 over 473 1/3 innings in center field this season, and while the Outs Above Average (+2) and Defensive Runs Saved (+1) metrics still have a positive view of his defense, even those numbers are well below his totals from 2023.

A broader decision on the center field job probably doesn’t have to be made until Turner is ready to be activated, and Lauber feels Philadelphia could then option Rojas to Triple-A or designate Cristian Pache for assignment. Pache is out of minor league options and thus would have to be DFA’ed first if the Phils wanted to send him to the minors, so to avoid losing Pache on a waiver claim, the Phillies could instead simply option Rojas to Triple-A to see if his bat can catch fire in the minors.

Phillies Select David Dahl

By Darragh McDonald and Steve Adams | June 3, 2024 at 2:26pm CDT

The Phillies announced a series of roster moves today, placing outfielder Brandon Marsh and infielder Kody Clemens on the 10-day injured list. Marsh has a right hamstring strain and Clemens has low back spasms. The latter’s move is retroactive to May 31. In corresponding moves, they selected the contract of outfielder David Dahl and recalled infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson. To get Dahl onto the 40-man, right-hander Michael Rucker was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Marsh was removed from last night’s game due to his hamstring issue, and manager Rob Thomson said after the game that the 26-year-old was considered day-to-day. It seems the club has decided to let Marsh take it easy for at least ten days to get over the issue, though it may not be a long stint on the IL if it was a borderline case. The club also has the best record in the National League at 41-19, perhaps giving them the luxury of being cautious. Clemens was initially in last night’s lineup before being scratched due to the spasms. It’s unknown how serious his issue is but he will sit out for over a week alongside Marsh.

The subtraction of two position players from the Philadelphia roster will create an opening for Dahl. The 30-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in the offseason and he has been playing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, utterly mashing so far. He has 12 home runs in 166 plate appearances and has walked 11.4% of the time. His .340/.416/.660 slash line leads to a ludicrous 171 wRC+.

It’s been quite some time since this was the case, but Dahl, the No. 10 overall pick by the Rockies back in 2012, was once touted as one of the sport’s top all-around prospects. He hit the ground running in the majors, posting a .315/.359/.500 slash in 63 games as a rookie and batting .297/.346/.521 through his first 921 MLB plate appearances from 2016-19. Injuries have ravaged Dahl’s career, however, and for several years rendered him a shell of the once-dynamic talent he once looked to be.

Dahl suffered a lacerated spleen in a violent outfield collision and wound up needing to have the organ removed entirely. He’s also battled through a stress fracture in his ribcage, a broken foot, a high ankle sprain, a shoulder strain, multiple back injuries and a quad strain in his big league career. It’s an eye-opening injury history, highlighted by that splenectomy procedure — one that obviously took its toll on Dahl’s body. From 2020-23, he appeared in only 91 big league games and hit just .199/.235/.303 in that time. Even his Triple-A output was often lackluster along the way, but Dahl’s standout production in Lehigh Valley this season marks his strongest run of minor league play since the one that led to his original MLB call-up back in 2016.

Whether Dahl can find a second act in his career after so many physical ailments, the mere fact that he’s played his way back to the majors yet again after so many setbacks is a testament to his perseverance and passion for the game. For now, he’ll give the Phils a short-term option to help cover Marsh’s absence, but the Triple-A power surge is also genuinely intriguing. If Dahl proves he’s once again a big league-caliber bat, he’d be controllable via arbitration through the 2025 season, making him a potential multi-year outfield/bench piece for the Phils in an ideal scenario.

NL East Notes: Sanchez, Marsh, Alvarez, Fujinami, Fletcher

By Mark Polishuk | June 2, 2024 at 10:11pm CDT

The Marlins placed right-hander Sixto Sanchez on the 15-day injured list today (retroactive to June 1), with right-hander Emmanuel Ramirez was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move. Sanchez is dealing with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, and something seemed awry when his velocity was significantly down in his start against the Rangers on Friday.

Given how multiple shoulder surgeries (amidst other injuries) kept Sanchez from just a single inning of minor league ball from 2021-23, it isn’t a good sign that the former top prospect is again dealing with any type of shoulder problem, even if some inflammation or soreness might be expected given Sanchez’s long layoff. The righty made his return to the big leagues this season and has a 6.06 ERA over 35 2/3 innings for Miami, starting seven of his 14 appearances. While Sanchez has always been more of a grounder specialist than a strikeout artist, Sanchez has struck out only 10.5% of batters faced this season.

East Notes: Casas, Cabrera, Marsh

By Nick Deeds | March 10, 2024 at 10:23pm CDT

The Red Sox recently signed right-hander Brayan Bello to a six-year, $55MM extension that extends their team control over the youngster by two years. That deal isn’t the only possible extension for a young potential cornerstone that Boston has pursued this winter, however, as first baseman Triston Casas confirmed to reporters that he and the Red Sox have discussed a possible extension as well. At the time, Casas indicated that while he would love to spend his entire career in Boston, the club had yet to present him with anything “enticing” to that point. In the wake of Bello’s extension, Casas recently discussed his own extension negotiations with the Red Sox, as relayed by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.

In his comments, Casas reiterating that he hopes to play in Boston for “the rest of [his] career” while also providing an update on the discussions he’s had with Red Sox brass. Per Casas, the sides are still talking but there’s been “no numerical values” discussed to this point and that “nothing has really accelerated” to this point. Even as the 24-year-old makes clear he hopes to spend his entire career in Boston, it doesn’t seem as though he feels much urgency to get a deal done anytime soon.

“I think I have a lot of work to do before I feel like I can say I deserve that contract extension to be the long-term first baseman for the Boston Red Sox,” Casas said, as relayed by Speier. “…So if I don’t get that offer, I’m not upset at anybody in the organization. I’m not upset with myself.”

Although Casas claims to have not yet performed at a level that would warrant the extension he’s looking for, he certainly turned in a strong performance in his first full big league season last year. In 132 games with the Red Sox, Casas slashed an impressive .263/.367/.490 (129 wRC+) in 502 trips to the plate. That strong overall performance was bolstered by a torrid second half that saw Casas slash an incredible .317/.417/.617 in 54 games with a 175 wRC+ that was the fifth-best figure among all hitters with at least 200 plate appearances down the stretch, bested by only Shohei Ohtani, Matt Olson, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Mookie Betts. If the sides are unable to come to an agreement this spring, a 2024 campaign that even comes close to resembling his second half last year would surely improve Casas’s earning power considerably.

More from MLB’s East divisions…

Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera was removed from his start against the Cardinals today before throwing a pitch, with Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald noting that Cabrera experienced a bout of tightness in his right shoulder while warming up for the game. McPherson adds that Cabrera’s removal from the game was precautionary, per Miami, and that Cabrera told reporters a few hours after being removed from the game that he was “already starting to feel better.” While both club and player are indicating that the issue isn’t a particularly severe issue, it’s worth noting that Cabrera was sidelined by a shoulder impingement in June of last year and missed a month of action. Should Cabrera manage to avoid a trip to the injured list to open the season, he figures to Jesus Luzardo and Eury Perez in the rotation. Southpaws A.J. Puk, Trevor Rogers, and Ryan Weathers figure to compete for the final two spots in the club’s rotation, though Braxton Garrett figures to join the rotation once he’s recovered from his own shoulder woes.
Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh has yet to appear in a game this spring while rehabbing from arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent in early February. While the initial timeline for his return to action was three-to-four weeks following the surgery, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer indicates that Marsh is not quite ready to return to game action at this point. Coffey adds that club manager Rob Thomson recently indicated that Marsh is “on track” with regards to his rehab and could get into a Grapefruit League game by the end of the week. Marsh, 26, slashed a strong .277/.372/.458 in 133 games for the Phillies last year and figures to be a regular fixture in the club’s outfield mix this season alongside Nick Castellanos and Johan Rojas.

Brandon Marsh Out Three To Four Weeks Following Arthroscopic Knee Surgery

By Steve Adams | February 9, 2024 at 11:21am CDT

11:21am: Dombrowski tells reporters that Marsh’s injury occurred during a workout a few days ago (X link via Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer). The debridement procedure that was performed was tied to “floating cartilage” in Marsh’s knee.

10:21am: The Phillies announced Friday that outfielder Brandon Marsh underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee this morning. He’s expected to return to game activity in three to four weeks, per the team, and the Phillies anticipate that he’ll still be ready for Opening Day.

Marsh, 26, was acquired from the Angels at the 2022 deadline in a trade sending catcher Logan O’Hoppe to the Halos. It was a somewhat rare one-for-one swap of two well-regarded young players whose positional fit was stronger with another club than the one that drafted him. Marsh hit the ground running in Philly and has seized a regular spot in the outfield, batting .280/.360/.457 in 610 plate appearances since that swap.

While he’s played plenty of center field for the Phillies, Marsh will likely slide over to left field in 2024 in deference to defensive standout Johan Rojas, whom president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said earlier this week is “likely” to be his Opening Day center fielder. Marsh has been a capable enough defender in center, but he graded out as a plus in the corners last year. More than that, however, Rojas posted otherworldly defensive marks in just 392 innings of center field work: 15 Defensive Runs Saved and 6 Outs Above Average.

The Phillies were already known to be poking around the market for another bench bat, and it’s fair to wonder whether this injury news regarding Marsh might push them a bit harder to find a right-handed-hitting outfielder. Marsh is a career .223/.278/.312 hitter against southpaws anyhow, and while there’s no indication that this is expected to be a long-term issue, it’s also not uncommon to see a relatively minor surgery bring about some lingering issues.

Right now, Cristian Pache is the Phillies’ fourth outfielder — though utility infielder Edmundo Sosa has also seen some time in the outfield as well. Both are right-handed, but both are also defensive-minded players. If Marsh experiences any kind of setback, the Phillies could turn to a platoon arrangement with Pache and fellow reserve Jake Cave in left field, or the club could take a look at a non-roster depth option like Cal Stevenson. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see at least another non-roster invitee brought into camp to join that mix, and Dombrowski acknowledged earlier this week that the club “might” end up signing another bat for the Major League bench, so a more notable addition than another NRI shouldn’t be ruled out entirely.

Phillies Notes: Marsh, Pache, Alvarado

By Nick Deeds | August 20, 2023 at 8:45pm CDT

Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh was activated from the 10-day injured list earlier today, prior to the club’s appearance against Washington in tonight’s Little League Classic. Marsh’s return to the lineup is excellent news for Philadelphia, as the 25-year-old has slashed an excellent .281/.367/.460 (122 wRC+) in 361 trips to the plate while playing strong defense in center field this season. While Marsh was on the shelf, he was filled in for in center field admirably by youngster Johan Rojas, who has slashed a roughly league average .286/.337/.390 in 86 plate appearances while playing excellent defense in center.

With Marsh back on the roster, he figures to return to the everyday role he occupied prior to his injury. That leaves Rojas set to spend more time on the Phillies’ bench going forward, though manager Rob Thomson has indicated previously that using both Marsh and Rojas in the outfield could be on the table as a way to get both players’ bats into the lineup while also greatly improving the club’s overall outfield defense. Such an arrangement would likely come at the expense of at-bats for Jake Cave, but Cave hasn’t made things easy for Thomson himself, posting a superb .333/.359/.639 slash line in August while splitting time between the outfield and first base.

Further complicating the club’s logjam is the eventual return of Cristian Pache, who boasts elite outfield defense and showed flashes of the offensive potential that once made him a top prospect in 53 trips to the plate for the Phillies prior to going on the injured list last month. While rostering all three of Pache, Cave, and Rojas simultaneously would be all but impossible for the Phillies to manage, that eventuality has seemingly been put off, at least for the time being. As noted by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Alex Coffey, Thomson told reporters that Pache is dealing with hip tightness, and the 24-year-old former top prospect’s timetable for return is currently unclear.

While Pache appears to be out of commission for the foreseeable future, the club offered better news on the pitching side of things, as MLB.com notes that left-hander Jose Alvarado is expected to rejoin the club tomorrow. Alvarado has been on the injured list since early July with left elbow inflammation, his second IL stint this season for the ailment. Despite the nagging injury, Alvarado has been nothing short of dominant when healthy enough to take the mound, with a 1.38 ERA, 2.30 FIP, and a 36.4% strikeout rate in 26 innings of work this season. In returning, Alvarado seems poised to join the late-inning mix for the Phillies ahead of closer Craig Kimbrel.

Phillies Place Brandon Marsh On 10-Day Injured List

By Nick Deeds | August 6, 2023 at 12:00pm CDT

The Phillies have placed outfielder Brandon Marsh on the 10-day injured list with a bruised knee, per a team announcement. Replacing Marsh on the active roster is Weston Wilson, who has had his contract selected by the Phillies today. The club had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary to make room for Wilson. Marsh’s injury occurred last night when he crashed into the center field wall and had to be helped off the field. He underwent an MRI and x-rays after exiting last night’s game, both of which came back negative. Phillies manager Rob Thomson indicated to reporters, including The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, that Marsh would be out between two and three weeks with the injury.

The injury comes in the midst of an excellent season with the Phillies, as he’s broken out to slash .284/.369/.463 (124 wRC+) while playing strong defense in center field. While Marsh is on the shelf, Gelb indicates that Johan Rojas will step in as the club’s everyday center fielder. In 16 games with the Phillies this season, Rojas has slashed .300/.333/.375 (93 wRC+) with excellent defense. Also potentially in the center field mix while Marsh recovers is Cristian Pache, who has been on the shelf since mid-July after undergoing elbow surgery but is expected to return before Marsh, per Gelb. In 53 trips to the plate with the Phillies this season, Pache has slashed .327/.365/.592 (156 wRC+) while playing his typically excellent defense in center.

With Rojas currently taking the everyday center field job and Pache on the way as well, that presumably leaves Wilson to fill in elsewhere around the diamond. The 28-year-old Wilson was a 17th-round pick by the Brewers in the 2016 draft and joined the Phillies organization this past season. He’s slashed an impressive .260/.361/.524 in 426 trips to the plate at Triple-A this season while first base, third base, shortstop, and both outfield corners. With the big league club, he’ll likely mix in alongside Edmundo Sosa, Jake Cave, and Rodolfo Castro among the club’s big league bench options.

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Brandon Marsh

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect