Phillies 2026 infield outlook: Free-agent options, prospect forecast, and more

While the Phillies are poised for some roster changes in 2026, at the moment it doesn’t seem like those will occur in the infield.

The Phillies’ outfield has been a revolving door for the last few seasons, but the infield continues to run it back. And according to Dave Dombrowski, that seems to be the plan again. At least, for now.

“The infield is pretty well solidified,” the Phillies’ president of baseball operations said at his end-of-season news conference on Oct. 16.

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And indeed, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper are under contract into the 2030s, while Bryson Stott, Edmundo Sosa, and Alec Bohm are arbitration eligible. Barring a trade, there isn’t much room for movement or change.

Here’s an overview of the Phillies’ infield outlook next season and beyond.

This time last year, there were questions raised about Turner’s long-term future at shortstop after another below-average defensive season. But those questions have been all but put to rest after Turner made significant strides in 2025. His 17 outs above average were the highest of his career and tied for third among shortstops.

On the offensive side, Turner bought into the Phillies’ plan for him as their new leadoff hitter. Manager Rob Thomson wanted him to focus on using his athleticism and getting on base, rather than hitting homers. Turner did just that, stealing 36 bases and posting a .355 on-base percentage, his best since arriving in Philadelphia. With a .304 batting average, Turner also became the first Phillie to win the batting title since Richie Ashburn in 1958 and was named a Silver Slugger finalist.

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He may have sacrificed some power to do it, hitting just 15 home runs compared to 21 last season. But overall, Turner did exactly what the Phillies wanted out of him in the regular season, both offensively and defensively.

“He’s tough on himself,” Dombrowski said. “He’s like one of these guys, if he doesn’t hit 40 home runs and 40 doubles and 40 stolen bases, and lead the league in hitting, he’s probably going to think that he needs to do more.

“That’s how he is, which is great. That’s a great quality and attribute, but he doesn’t have to hit with any more power for us. He really did a fine job.”

Don’t expect Harper to change positions, either, despite the first baseman expressing some willingness last offseason and ahead of the trade deadline to return to the outfield.

Harper, who earned his second straight Gold Glove nomination at first base this season, has said he would be open to making a position switch if needed for an offensive upgrade. But it doesn’t sound as if the Phillies will consider moving him back to the outfield to add, say, Pete Alonso, who plans to opt out of his contract with the Mets after a 38-homer season.

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“I think Bryce is a first baseman at this time,” Dombrowski said. “I mean, that’s where we look at him as, and he has asked to go out into the outfield. He would be willing to do so, but I think it would be more for the short term if we had done something at the trading deadline, but it’s been a while since he’s been out [there].

“I’m sure he’d be fine, but he’s a really good first baseman, and I think for us, that’s the position we look at him playing for us.”

Harper finished the season with an OPS of .844. Though that still ranked 11th in the National League, it was his lowest since 2016 (.814).

Dombrowski seemed to lay down a challenge to Harper at his year-end news conference.

“He’s still an All-Star-caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good,” Dombrowski said. “… He’s the one that will dictate that more than anything else, and that’s what it comes down to.”

Stott continued to be elite defensively at second base, but had a roller-coaster offensive season. He struggled over the first half, but a midyear adjustment to his hand placement led to improved at-bats overall. Stott went from hitting .194 with a .637 OPS in July to a .307 batting average and .864 OPS in August.

However, Stott’s .575 OPS against lefties kept him in a platoon with Sosa. When called upon, the Phillies’ utility man provided a spark of energy and clutch hits, plus an .895 OPS against left-handers.

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“I view Stott as an everyday player, but Sosa’s numbers are so good against left-handed pitching that you’ve got to fit him someplace, whether it’s at third base when Bohm was hurt or mixed in for Stott against the lefties,” Thomson said. “So I view Stott as an everyday hitter. I think if he played every single day against left-handed pitching, he’d get better and put up pretty good numbers.”

On the other hand, Bohm spent last offseason amid a tornado of trade rumors. He will reach free agency in 2027, and his name will likely be floating around this winter, too, as one of the few ways the Phillies can change up their infield. The third baseman was afflicted by injuries — a rib fracture in July and shoulder inflammation in August — and slashed .287/.331/.409.

While Bohm and Harper were on the injured list at different points this season, Otto Kemp was a key fill-in. He hit .234 with 28 RBIs in his first 62 major-league games, most of which he played through knee and shoulder injuries that he will address with offseason surgery.

Kemp, 26, saw the bulk of his playing time at third but also appeared at first and second and in left field.

The Phillies’ top infield prospect, Aidan Miller, is rising quickly. The 21-year-old posted an .825 OPS this year and stole 59 bases between double-A Reading and triple-A Lehigh Valley. But the question remains as to where he will play in the majors.

Miller, who finished the season in triple A after a September promotion, has played shortstop throughout his minor-league career. Similar to the situation with top outfield prospect Justin Crawford, the Phillies believe that when Miller reaches the major leagues, he will need to be an everyday player.

A Miller breakthrough next season would require some changes to the current infield configuration. And Turner, who is under contract through 2033, doesn’t appear to be on the move from shortstop anytime soon. Dombrowski said the Phillies are still having conversations about Miller’s long-term position.

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“When I talked to people in our organization, they feel he can play shortstop. Of course, we have an All-Star shortstop at this point,” he said. “… [Miller has] played some second, he’s played some third, but he’s primarily been a shortstop, so we’d have to make sure that we properly prepare him to do that, and that’s still a discussion that we’ll have to have.”

Miller initially planned to participate in the Arizona Fall League, but the Phillies decided to prioritize rest instead.

Further down the pike, second baseman Aroon Escobar is the Phillies’ No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Escobar, 20, ascended three levels in 2025 to finish the season at double A. He hit 15 homers and had 62 RBIs in 120 games.

Also in double A to end the year is Phillies No. 13 prospect Carson DeMartini. In his first full professional season after being drafted in 2024 out of Virginia Tech, the third baseman posted a .707 OPS and stole 45 bases.

The Phillies don’t have a pressing free-agent need to fill in the infield, though that could change if a trade is made. (The battery will be covered later in this series.)

Currently, one of the top available names on the market is righty third baseman Alex Bregman, who is set to opt out of his contract with the Red Sox after an All-Star season in which he slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 homers.

Third baseman Eugenio Suárez was one of the most coveted offensive trade deadline acquisitions this year and was linked to the Phillies before ending up with the Mariners. Suárez saw a dip in production in the second half, but he still had some big postseason moments for Seattle, such as a game-winning grand slam in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

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Gleyber Torres, 28, had an overall bounce-back year with the Tigers after the Yankees let him walk in 2024. The right-handed-hitting second baseman was named an All-Star for the first time since 2019. Torres saw diminished production later in the season, with a .812 first-half OPS compared to .659 in the second half, but revealed that he had been playing through a sports hernia late in the year.

There are also international options. In recent years, the Phillies have attempted to expand their outreach in Japan in the hopes of attracting top stars there, but have yet to break through.

The Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball have announced that they will be posting corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto. The right-handed 29-year-old has hit .277/.361/.521 with 248 homers over 11 seasons in NPB.

According to an MLB.com report, Munetaka Murakami is also expected to be posted this winter. Murakami, 25, is a left-handed-hitting corner infielder with a career .951 OPS across eight seasons in NPB. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Central League in 2021 and 2022.