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Our last look at the Phillies 2025 roster, with an eye toward who should be back for 2026, will examine the players who came off the bench last season. The results on offense weren't great. Hitters who came off the bench – as substitutes – to get an at bat (190 such instances) hit just .232, with just two home runs while pinch hitters fared a little better, hitting .244 in 95 plate appearances, but they hit zero home runs and just five RBI. It's not easy, sitting in the dugout for hours and then swinging a productive bat. But it's important, and it's an area where the Phillies can improve this fall. The vast majority of Philly's offense came from the players in the starting lineup. They got some great play from utlityman Edmundo Sosa but the rest of the bench was nothing special. We'll hit on six main players who would be in contention for a bench role if they were in spring training. Edmundo Sosa Sosa is 30, and entering his final year of arbitration eligibility — Spotrac projects he'll be worth roughly $7.5 million next season. In 2025, Sosa played second, shortstop, third base, left field and centerfield. He played well at every spot. He compiled a 2.3 WAR over 89 games, hitting .276 with 11 homers. His WAR was 0.1 lower all by himself than Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler combined. The Phillies are not going to blink before assuming he's in the mix for 2026, able to play all over the field, hit well, and fill in over large stretches for any position player who gets hurt. Phillies stay or go seriesRob Thomson | Dave Dombrowski | Kyle Schwarber | Ranger Suárez | J.T. Realmuto | Nick Castellanos | Harrison Bader | Alec Bohm | Max Kepler | Walker Buehler | Taijuan Walker | The bullpen | The bench The Phillies seem to be approaching Kemp, who played in his first MLB season in 2025 hitting .234 while playing first, third and left field, as a younger version of Sosa. He is 26 and pre-arbitration, so there is no risk of him leaving anytime soon. The real question is what sort of role he'll be able to find with the lineup more or less set for next season. Will he also be a utilityman off the bench? Phillies President Dave Dombrowski spoke very highly of him a few weeks ago and hinted that he could have an even larger role next season. "I think Otto Kemp has a chance to be an everyday player," Dombrowski said. "He has a chance to be an everyday player next year. He has thump in his bat. That ball jumps off his bat. We really like him, we like his makeup. He can play a couple different spots as we have seen. "Where that would end up happening, would he play all over the place?" Dombrowski continued, "that is also a possibility. But we really like him a great deal." Weston Wilson Wilson was a late bloomer — he is 31 and under team control through the 2030 season. However, he didn't really provide the pop or corner outfield platoon on the right side the Phillies hoped he would and his spot on the 26-man roster will be tentative for sure. He is out of minor league options, so the likely scenario for Wilson is he's brought back to compete for a roster spot in spring training but could be placed on waivers and designated for assignment or traded if he doesn't earn it. He'll need to do better than the .198/.282/.369 slash line he provided in 52 games. Johan Rojas Still just 25, the speedy outfielder had an up and down 2025. He hit .224 in 71 MLB games before he was finally demoted, with the team hoping he could find a little more with his bat in the minors. He did, hitting .279 in Triple-A before an injury prevented him from being called up for the playoff roster — Dombrowski claimed he would have been used there primarily as a pinch runner. Rojas is currently playing winter ball, looking to improve his bat even more. He has a year left of team control and there is a realistic possibility that he makes the Phillies 26-man roster as their fourth outfielder, though a lot is up in the air right now with Kyle Schwarber a free agent, Harrison Bader holding a mutual option and Castellanos the subject of trade (or release) rumors. Garrett Stubbs, Rafael Marchán Catcher will be a big area of concern for the Phillies if they're unable to bring back free agent J.T. Realmuto. Marchán was his primary backup in 2025 and was called on relatively rarely, as Realmuto led the majors in total innings caught. When he did play, he slashed .210/.282/.305 over 42 games. The righty is 26, and entering his first year of arbitration — meaning he'll be a Phillie until at least 2028 if they want him. Stubbs was called up when rosters expanded and played just five games in the majors. He was a good sport, accepting a demotion to the minors after serving as Realmuto's backup from 2022-2024. He has two years left of arbitration, but he has no minor league options. Similar to Wilson, it's possible the Phillies let Stubbs fight for a spot in spring training and then expose him to wavers or trade him. What do you think? SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter Follow Evan on Twitter:@evan_macy Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
