We have reached the endgame, friends. This will be the week where the cuts are made, where some options are picked up, where some decisions are made and the Phillies’ initial roster of 2026 is created. Some of these possibly logjams have been taken care of already thanks to decisions to ingest things against the rules, but some decisions still loom. Here is the final projection for said roster and what it will look like when the Texas Rangers roll into town next week.

Roster projection, 1.0
Roster projection, 2.0

Catcher – J.T. Realmuto, Rafael Marchan

I wrote last week about the ludicrous notion that Garrett Stubbs would make the roster as the 26th man/third catcher, which seems an odd topic to write about. Surely no manager would keep a light hitting catcher on the roster just because he took a few groundballs at third base or shagged a few fly balls during BP, right?

Infield – Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp, Dylan Moore

The first six players? We know they’re all making it.

And then there is Dylan Moore.

There isn’t much that Moore has done this spring that would single him out as the one to get the last spot on the roster. As of Wednesday, he was 4 for 19, a few RBI sprinkled here, a few stolen bases sprinkled there. Nothing to get excited about. Yet he fits the profile of what the team is always on the hunt for: versatility. In his career, Moore has played more or less everywhere but pitcher and catcher. In a pinch, his right handed bat can come in if Justin Crawford is struggling. He can handle other positions as well.

He’s pretty much Whit Merrifield, who made the roster at the end of spring training in 2024. I’m not sure he’s the best candidate for the job, but I would be shocked if he wasn’t the final person called into Rob Thomson’s office to get the good news.

Outfield – Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford, Adolis Garcia

It’s quite odd to put only three outfielders on this team and it’s possible that that won’t happen. Maybe in the end, the allure of Bryan de la Cruz is too much for Rob Thomson to ignore. Maybe the idea of only have three real life outfielders is a bridge too far. If the team opted for an outfielder like de la Cruz over keeping Dylan Moore, I’d be fine with it.

I just don’t see that happening.

Designated hitter – Kyle Schwarber

Again, easiest call here.

Starting rotation – Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, Andrew Painter

The same five we thought would start the season will likely actually start the season.

I’m kind of interested in Taijuan Walker for some reason. Zack Wheeler is probably closer to returning than anyone thinks, which means someone is going to have to move from the rotation. The team is usually not fond of running out six man rotations early in the season, making Walker the likely candidate to move. However, what if Andrew Painter is struggling and Walker is just doing Walker things? Would the team consider a different approach then?

Relief pitching – Jhoan Duran, Brad Keller, Jose Alvarado, Jonathan Bowlan, Tanner Banks, Kyle Backhus, Seth Johnson, Zach McCambley

The first six look set in pen right now. Johnson and McCambley are probably short term fixes until the two players projected to return from the injured list actually return.

Hot take: by season’s end, this will be a top five bullpen by WPA.

Injured list – Zack Wheeler, Orion Kerkering

Wheeler is probably close. Kerkering might not have enough time to be ready for the season opener. Best idea might be to slowplay his return and letting them keep McCambley or Johnson in the big leagues for now before they have to make a decision on either.