The Phillies have worked themselves back into the race with a nine-game winning streak, but the roster still has a few soft spots showing. The bullpen has been shaky, the rotation looks worn down, and the bench could use a little more punch. With September call-ups on the table, there are a few names that make sense for a look, and a couple others that would be a lot more fun than likely.
Keaton Anthony fits the realistic bucket. The slugging first baseman went undrafted in 2023 after being tied to a sports betting scandal, but the Phillies have gotten real value out of him on a minor league deal.
In three years in the organization, the Indiana-born lefty has put together a .857 OPS. He started this season on the shelf with a broken bone in his foot, then returned to post a .779 OPS in 58 Triple-A games.
He’s not needed as another first baseman with Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm already around, but he could give the Phillies a useful left-handed bat off the bench in September.
Tommy Pham is another realistic option, and the fit is obvious. The Phillies’ offense has been rolling, but it still leans heavily left-handed with Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott all swinging from that side.
The right-handed group is thinner, with Trea Turner struggling, Bohm producing but hard to trust, and J.T. Realmuto declining.
Edmundo Sosa has also been bad off the bench. With Marsh, Harper and Justin Crawford all lefties in the starting outfield, adding a right-handed bat would help balance things out.
Pham, a 13-year veteran who has played for 10 different clubs, has been crushing Triple-A pitching with an .846 OPS in Lehigh Valley, and the Phillies could make him club No. 11.
The harder calls are the ones that border on wishful thinking. Bryan Rincon is the kind of player who could get a shot only if injuries force the issue.
The Phillies have little need for a middle infielder after trading for Luis Arraez and keeping Trea Turner at shortstop, so a promotion looks unlikely unless one of them gets hurt. If that happened, Bryson Stott could slide over, Alec Bohm could move back to third, and Bryce Harper could return to first, but that would still leave room for another infielder on the bench.
Rincon has certainly earned attention: the 22-year-old shortstop came into the year as a glove-first depth piece, then broke out at Double-A Reading with a .269/.402/.500 line, 20 homers and 26 steals in 103 games. He probably isn’t ready for big league pitching yet, but he has made a strong case for a taste of the majors.
Gage Wood is the most exciting name on the list, and also the least likely to show up in September. The Phillies’ relief group has been rough outside of Jhoan Duran and Jonathan Bowlan, with José Alvarado unraveling, Orion Kerkering struggling, and Brooks Raley and Caleb Kilian either mediocre or hurt.
The club already leaned on rookie Alex McFarlane, who quickly moved into high-leverage work, so the farm isn’t exactly overflowing with bullpen answers. Still, Wood is impossible to ignore.
The 2025 first-rounder has passed the injury-riddled Aidan Miller as the top prospect in the system and reached Double-A in his first full pro season. His fastball and curve give him ace-level upside, and the Phillies have been managing his workload carefully as a starter.
He has scuffled lately in Reading, likely because he has more than doubled his previous season-high in innings, and the team is expected to shut him down soon and call the year a success. Even so, Wood spent much of his college career as a reliever, and his stuff would play in short bursts.
It’s almost certainly not happening, but it’s easy to see why the idea is tempting.
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He was part of the 1980 World Series title team, and his passing has already prompted condolences from former teammates and other Phillies figures who remembered both what he meant on the mound and the way he carried himself away from it. For a fan base that still keeps close ties to its past, Christenson's death is another reminder of how many of the people who helped shape that title run remain deeply woven into Phillies memory. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Farm System Just Got A Rare Reason For Real Hope
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Phillies Still Have One Lineup Problem They May Regret Ignoring
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Jo Adell was one of the names tied to that need, and the fit made sense because of his right-handed power and ability to change a game in a hurry. Instead, he landed with the Cleveland Guardians, where he has opened hot with four home runs and 18 RBIs in his first 20 games, adding another layer to a career that has already included early struggles, injuries and plenty of projection. For the Phillies, the question now is whether passing on that type of bat will matter if the lineup keeps looking the same when the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]