For baseball fans, the Super Bowl marks an exciting time – spring training is about to start.

Phillies pitchers and catchers will hold their first workout of spring camp on Feb. 12. And while there aren’t many questions surrounding the Phillies roster right now, there will be a few things to monitor down in Clearwater, Fla. before the team heads north to start the 2025 season.

Who gets the final two roster spots?

That’s perhaps the biggest roster-related question right now. The Phillies have 24 players that feel like locks for the Opening Day roster. That’s a fluid number, though. Injuries could change it.

One open spot is in the bullpen; the other is on the bench. There won’t be a clear-cut favorite for either heading into camp. But the team has a few options to pick from for both.

Tyler Phillips is an early-season long-relief option. Max Lazar, Michael Mercado, Alan Rangel, Devin Sweet, and Kyle Tyler are other relief options currently on the 40-man roster. Of those six, Phillips is the only one without a minor-league option.

For the final bench spot, Kody Clemens, Buddy Kennedy, Cal Stevenson, and Weston Wilson are all candidates. 

Clemens, a potential trade candidate, and Kennedy are out of minor-league options. Stevenson, only an outfielder, feels like a long shot here. Wilson may be the best option by the end of camp. A right-handed hitter – which the Phillies may prefer – Wilson can play infield and outfield.

What happens to Taijuan Walker?

Still owed $36 million over the next two seasons, Walker’s 2024 was disastrous. He posted a 7.10 ERA across 83 ⅔ innings.

Walker will report to spring training with every other Phillies pitcher and catcher. He feels like an emergency option for the starting rotation and bullpen. 

The veteran did a weighted-ball program this winter to help increase his velocity, which was an issue last year. We’ll see if that helped at all. It may not matter, though.

Injuries to others may be the only way Walker makes the Opening Day roster. If he has a good showing this spring, maybe he starts the year in the bullpen. 

Another scenario is the Phillies parting ways with Walker within the next six to seven weeks. They could trade or outright release him. In either scenario, they’d have to eat most or all of his remaining salary.

How does the depth look?

The Phillies don’t have much outfield depth at the moment. They’re going to sign some players to minor-league deals to fill that out. How those players look in spring training could be important. The team is a pair of injuries away from really being tested in the outfield depth department.

Pitching depth will be key, too. Spring training is always a scary time for teams and pitchers. Injuries are almost certain to happen then and throughout the season. The eight relievers the Phillies enter the season with will not be the ones they finish the season with. They’ll likely use more than six starting pitchers, too.

The Phillies have some interesting arms within their organization. At some point, we’ll see them in the majors. It takes a lot of pitchers to get through a season.

Mick Abel, Jean Cabrera, Moises Chace, and Seth Johnson are likely to start the season in the minors. Keep an eye on them in spring training, though. It wouldn’t be a surprise if any get some big-league innings in 2025, whether it be as a starter or reliever.

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