Philadelphia Phillies: Adam Haseley still has time to win the starting CF job

When it was first announced that Adam Haseley would be missing a majority of this year’s Spring Training due to a groin injury, a good number of people wrote him off as unlikely to be the Philadelphia Phillies‘ starting center fielder on Opening Day (myself included).

With such a fierce competition expected to take place out in CF this spring, many assumed the lost time would simply rule Haseley out of the Opening Day conversation. Throw in the fact that Joe Girardi hasn’t seemed super keen on using Haseley in the past, and all signs pointed towards the former first-round pick starting off the season on the bench, or even on the IL.

However, despite the initial projections, Haseley is already back in action. He’ll be available as a backup during the team’s Tuesday night game against the Toronto Blue Jays, and has already been announced as a starter for the team’s Wednesday afternoon game against the Detroit Tigers:

Adam Haseley can still win the Philadelphia Phillies CF battle.

More from Section 215

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

Obviously, that’s all super good news. Haseley has struggled with lingering injuries in the past, so seeing him quickly rebound from this groin issue is a positive development in that regard. Additionally, there’s still a full week’s worth of Spring Training ball left to be played. Haseley might be working with a bit of a disadvantage as he has limited time to find his swing again, but seven games could easily be enough time for Haseley to change the Phillies current plans out in center field.

The other main factor that’s aiding Haseley in his attempt to be named the Opening Day center fielder is the fact that the rest of his competition hasn’t exactly risen to the occasion. Scott Kingery has been a disaster at the plate (and could see time in AAA this year), Odubel Herrera has flashed some pop at times, but has also been a streaky hitter this spring, and Roman Quinn continues to look like the same ol’ Roman Quinn from year’s past.

Herrera is the frontrunner out in CF at the moment, but the Phillies would likely jump at the opportunity to exclude the controversial outfielder from their Opening Day roster to make way for a potentially surging Adam Haseley.

Haseley’s swing looked solid during his first couple at-bats prior to the injury – he even hit a leadoff home run to kick things off back in late February. If the young lefty can return to the lineup in a similar form, the odds of him overtaking the likes of Herrera and Quinn in the CF pecking order seem high.

Set to turn 25 in April, there’s still a ton of potential left to be squeezed out of Haseley moving forward. However, the Philadelphia Phillies are desperately trying to crack the postseason this year, and their patience might be thin when it comes to the CF position. Herrera has shown enough promise this spring to deserve a few reps out there in the regular season, and I wouldn’t even rule out a midseason upgrade via the trade market should Dave Dombrowski be unsatisfied with the results he’s getting.

For the meantime, however, Haseley will likely be getting every opportunity in the world to win back the job over the next couple of days.