The Philadelphia Phillies have entered September with two reinforcements joining the fold in Ranger Suarez and Cristian Pache. Suarez is set to join the Phillies' six-man rotation as they make their push to hold onto the top Wild Card spot in the NL while Pache gives the Phillies great speed and defense in the outfield off the bench.
The Phillies hold their own destiny as they're currently 2.5 games up on the Cubs for the first Wild Card spot, and are 4.5 games up on the remainder of the field for a postseason spot. Barring a massive collapse, there will be Red October once again in South Philly, and we can already picture what the postseason roster will look like.
With there being 28 players on the Phillies September roster but only 26 allowed on the postseason roster, some changes will have to be made. Here are three players who are currently on the roster right now and either won't be on the postseason team at all, or won't play if they do make it.
Phillies who won't play this postseason, No. 3: Rodolfo Castro
The Phillies acquired Rodolfo Castro in a deal with the Pirates at the trade deadline as they sent their Opening Day fifth starter across the state to Pittsburgh. Falter failed miserably in his fifth starter role, but it was still surprising to see the team give up on him completely, especially when all they got in return was Rodolfo Castro.
The 24-year-old infielder had just a .672 OPS for the Pirates this season, and has really struggled since arriving in Philadelphia. He has just two hits (both singles) in 20 at-bats with the Phillies, striking out nine times in the process. Not exactly his best introduction.
He's only made ten appearances and four starts in the month since Philadelphia got him and I get that it's hard to hit when you get irregular playing time, but it's hard to find a spot for Castro at all.
The Phillies have Edmundo Sosa who can play anywhere Castro can while actually hitting at a solid rate. Castro being as young as he is could potentially find a role in the future with this organization, but it's very hard to see him making the postseason roster.
Phillies who won't play this postseason, No. 2: Cristian Pache
The Phillies will have Nick Castellanos in the outfield every day in the postseason, but the other two spots are a bit more up in the air. Brandon Marsh will be in there against righties, but his .229 average and .693 OPS against lefties leave a lot to be desired. Kyle Schwarber will be in the lineup every day in the postseason, but whether he plays left field with Bryce Harper at DH or he serves as the DH with Harper at first remains to be seen.
When the Phillies face a right-hander, the likely scenario is Jake Cave starts in left with Harper at first, Schwarber at DH, and Marsh in center. When they face a lefty, presumably the Phillies will stick Edmundo Sosa at third, Alec Bohm at first, Bryce Harper at DH, and Kyle Schwarber in left with an opening in center field.
Prior to landing on the IL, that center field spot against lefties is where Cristian Pache would fill in. Pache has had a ton of success against left-handers, but Johan Rojas has filled in recently and has done a nice job himself.
In all likelihood, one of these two won't be on the roster because it'd be redundant. They're both there primarily for their speed and defense. Rojas should have the nod for now because of the fact that he's been there and Pache has been out since early July, but if Pache swings a hot bat down the stretch that can absolutely change.
Phillies who won't play this postseason, No. 1: Dylan Covey
With the Phillies lacking pitching depth, the club claimed Dylan Covey off of waivers after he was DFA'd by the Dodgers. Covey has had his ups and downs but has remained with the club since they claimed him because he's out of options and they simply can't afford to lose more depth.
Options don't matter come postseason time, so the Phillies can leave Covey off the roster and have him in the organization as an emergency depth option. With that in mind, it's hard to see Covey making the roster over the arms they currently have.
The Phillies have been using a six-man rotation since they acquired Michael Lorenzen at the trade deadline (when Ranger Suarez is healthy) and will presumably run with that the remainder of the regular season. When the playoffs come around, that rotation will shrink to four, meaning two starters would either move to the bullpen or be removed.
It's unclear as of this moment how the Phillies plan on lining up their rotation, but all six starters will make the postseason roster in some capacity. They're too good not to. Covey has been somewhat of a long-man for Philadelphia, completing two innings in seven of his 19 appearances with the club. With two starters moving to the bullpen, they won't be needing a long man.
While he's pitched better of late (2.45 ERA in his last nine appearances), most of those have come in games completely out of reach or when the Phillies simply ran out of arms. In other words, he's Rob Thomson's last choice in what's a solid bullpen overall. Not everyone can make the roster, and Covey feels like he'd be the odd man out in a stacked group of pitchers.
