Philadelphia Phillies: 3 players who could be off the roster by September 1
By Tim Boyle
The Philadelphia Phillies roster is a strong one with some obvious areas they could improve but probably wouldn’t be able to at this point. Throughout this season, we’ve seen them try a few different things out in those spots.
Center field remains a bit of a question even with the addition of Brandon Marsh. However, with only him and Matt Vierling as possibilities to play the position at a major league level, both of them are very safe.
The same isn’t true for a couple of other members of the current 26-man roster. For these three players, they could see their time with the club come to even a temporary close.
3. Phillies roster may only have Sam Coonrod on it for a short period of time
The 2022 season has been almost a complete wash for relief pitcher Sam Coonrod. Only recently activated from the IL, he’ll have to pitch well in order to keep his spot on the roster.
Coonrod was 2-2 with a 4.04 ERA in 42.1 innings for the team last year. It wasn’t very good but he was one of the more reliable arms Joe Girardi could turn to. The story is much different with the 2022 Phillies. Even before they added David Robertson, things were going much better for the relief corps.
Coonrod is an older pitcher with limited big league experience and minor league options. He’s someone we could easily expect to get demoted in favor of a fresher arm even if he has pitched immaculately. His role for this year’s Phillies team will position him well behind several more experienced pitchers. Regardless of the numbers, he’s going to have a permanent place on the roster bubble.