Garrett Stubbs ‘willing to do anything’ that will keep him with the Phillies and in the lineup

CLEARWATER, Fla. — When Garrett Stubbs debuted for the University of Southern California baseball team in 2012, his first appearance was in left field.

He had been a catcher in high school, and would later win the then-named Johnny Bench Award for best collegiate catcher in 2015. But as a freshman, with other catchers ahead of him on the depth chart, he wound up in the outfield for the Trojans’ season opener.

It went well: Stubbs made a diving catch to snag a line drive and threw across the diamond to double up a runner at first base. Later in the weekend, he also stepped in at catcher and third base.

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Stubbs has sparingly played positions other than catcher throughout his minor and major league career. During the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he played one game at third base for Israel. He last played one inning of left field in July 2023 as a defensive substitution, after Bryce Harper — who was not yet able to play in the field in his return from Tommy John surgery — was used as a pitch hitter.

This spring, though, the Phillies are trying to get Stubbs more work in the infield and outfield in an effort to make him more versatile.

“I’ve done it before, so I’m more than happy to if that’s what they want me to do,” Stubbs said.

According to manager Rob Thomson, it could open another pathway for him to make the club. With Otto Kemp and Edmundo Sosa expected to make the roster, that leaves the backup catcher and fourth bench job as the two remaining position player battles at this point in camp.

Last spring, the competition between Stubbs and Rafael Marchán at backup catcher was more cut and dry. Marchán was out of options while Stubbs had one remaining, which allowed the Phillies to option him without risking losing him on waivers. This year, they are both out of options and another team could swoop in on whoever doesn’t make the roster.

So far, Stubbs is 4-for-13 in five spring training games. He returned this week from playing for Israel in the WBC and singled and walked Friday against Baltimore. Marchán is 6-for-22 in 10 games with three doubles.

“Marchán is a little bit younger,” Thomson said of the backup catcher battle. “He’s a switch-hitter. They both understand the role and play the role extremely well. And they both can catch and throw. Marchán has swung the bat very well, as has Stubby during this spring. So it’s going to be a tough call when we come down to the end.”

Thomson’s ideal candidate for the fourth bench job is a player who can play multiple positions, he said. Come Opening Day, whoever the 26th man is likely will not have many opportunities at the plate. Weston Wilson, Kody Clemens, and Buddy Kennedy, who each filled that role at certain points, only had a combined 140 plate appearances for the Phillies last season.

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The Phillies approached Stubbs at the beginning of camp about increasing his versatility, and he started working with infield coach Bobby Dickerson before departing for the WBC. Over the last five years, he has regularly taken reps in the outfield during batting practice to get live reads.

“It’s for fun, but it also is for if I get out there at some point,” Stubbs said.

The most difficult aspect of it is the extra preparation added into his workload, on top of his catching work and batting practice, he said. But the foundation that he already has from his past helps. So does having a spring training locker next to Dylan Moore, who won a Gold Glove as a utility player in 2024.

Stubbs and Moore will talk in the outfield about reads, and he also picks Bryson Stott’s brain on infield work when they go golfing together.

Moore is also in competition for fourth bench job. He is hitting .200 in 10 games this spring and has appeared at first, second, third, and left field. Outfielder Bryan De La Cruz is another option, and he has a .333 batting average in 10 games with a double and a homer.

Johan Rojas was also previously in the conversation, but his status for the season is uncertain as he is appealing an 80-game suspension for a positive performance-enhancing drug test.

The Phillies also value Stubbs’ off-the-field contributions as a clubhouse presence and in pitchers’ meetings. When rosters expanded last fall, they opted to call Stubbs from triple-A Lehigh Valley as a third catcher rather than use the spot for a utility player.

Thomson said the Phillies are planning to get Stubbs into some spring training games in the outfield soon, and possibly second or third base.

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This is an experiment the Phillies have tried before with other players. It hasn’t always stuck. Sosa got outfield work in last season, and had a memorable first regular-season start in left, robbing Marcell Ozuna of a homer on his first play. But Sosa only ended up playing 11 total innings in the outfield that year.

Even so, Stubbs happy to give it a shot.

“I’m willing to do anything to be on the team and in the lineup,” he said.