Phillies open camp: Why the roster is smaller, confidence in Johan Rojas, and a Brandon Marsh update

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Phillies manager Rob Thomson says there are three times of year that really scare him. There is a common thread between them all.

“First week of spring training, first week of spring training games, and first week of regular-season games,” he said. “The intensity goes up. We really have to keep our feet underneath us.”

He encourages his players not to do too much too soon. His focus, right now, is keeping them healthy. In that sense, Wednesday — the Phillies’ pitchers and catchers’ first official workout — was a success. Thomson said the only player dealing with an injury is outfielder Brandon Marsh, who underwent left knee arthroscopic debridement surgery on Friday.

The Phillies have a smaller camp roster than they have had in previous springs, and that is by design. It’s possible that they add another outfielder or bullpen arm over the course of spring training, so they’re trying to create space for that move. If they don’t add anyone and need players, they can pull from their minor league minicamp.

“It’s a weird year,” Thomson said. “It seems weirder than most years. There’s a lot of flux, there’s a lot of stuff going on. People being signed and people being [designated for assignment] and what not. So, what our thought process was was that there was so many guys out there, that if we go in with a 65-man spring training roster, we might end up at 75 by the time we hit games.

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“If we add, that’s OK, and if we don’t, that’s OK too, because we have the minicamp going.”

There aren’t many jobs to compete for. Thomson said there “might be a couple of bullpen jobs” and, depending on whether the Phillies sign an outfielder, there might be an opening there, too.

“There’s not much, and that’s a good problem to have,” he said.

There is always a “best shape of his life” guy in spring training and this year, it might be Johan Rojas. When asked how much muscle he added on this offseason, the center fielder didn’t specify.

“A little bit,” he said, with a grin.

The Phillies are hopeful that Rojas will bring some improved plate discipline to camp, too. He has spent the winter working remotely with hitting coach Kevin Long.

“This kid has done a lot of work in the offseason,” Thomson said of Rojas. “A lot of work in the weight room. And he’s done a lot of work with Kevin Long on swing mechanics, staying back, not jumping at the ball, let the ball travel. So he can see it a little bit longer and react efficiently. Right now, he looks really good. We’ll see how it plays out.”

It’s no secret that the Phillies are short on starting pitching depth. When asked who is stretched out at camp, Thomson listed the following pitchers: lefthander Kolby Allard, and righthanders Spencer Turnbull, Nick Nelson, and David Buchanan.

Allard and Turnbull were signed as free agents this offseason. Nelson battled injuries last season and pitched only 5⅓ big league innings in 2023. Buchanan was drafted by the Phillies in 2010, played with the big league club in 2014 and 2015, and is now back, at 34 years old, after seven seasons in Asia.

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Turnbull, whose one-year deal with the Phillies was announced on Wednesday, has had a lengthy injury history so his workload has not been substantial the past few seasons. He threw 31 innings in 2023. Allard has a similar issue — he missed most of his 2023 season with a strained right oblique, and later in the year, left shoulder nerve inflammation.

This is all to say that the Phillies will have to take their time in stretching them out. Buchanan has produced a solid workload over his last four seasons in Korea. He threw a career high 188 innings in 2023 (at age 34).

“True professional,” Thomson said of Buchanan. “Really smart, has got a decent arm. Knows how to pitch. He’s just that experienced, savvy guy. He’s 35 years old, I think. I don’t think he’s going to scare.”

To make room for Turnbull on the 40-man roster, righthander McKinley Moore was designated for assignment on Wednesday.

Marsh was in and out of the clubhouse on Wednesday afternoon. Thomson said the outfielder is about three to four weeks out from playing in games. He is confident Marsh will be ready by opening day on March 28.

“He’s on this machine where they take the weight off of him, so he can run a little bit and walk and keep moving around,” Thomson said. “And that’s where we’re at right now. We’re still on the same timeline. He’s going to be game-ready in three or four weeks. I’m really, really, really confident in that. Because the little cleanup went really well and he feels good. He was walking almost immediately after the cleanup. So, I feel good about him.”

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Third baseman Alec Bohm, among the early-arriving position players, is scheduled to have his salary arbitration hearing Thursday in Arizona.

Bohm filed for $4 million; the Phillies countered at $3.4 million. The sides will make their case before a panel of judges, who will choose one salary figure or the other.