The Philadelphia Phillies are less than 24 hours away from kicking off the 2026 MLB season. The team had been making marginal moves over the last week, but it officially announced its Opening Day roster for Thursday.
Here are the players that will be available for the Phillies first series against the Texas Rangers:
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There was plenty of talk all offseason about the Phillies simply running back the same roster that finished the 2025 season. There is some truth to that, and the core players remain the same, but there are certainly new and notable players on the roster as the new year begins.
Adolis Garcia could bounce back in Philly, and prospects Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter will get a chance to make an impact.
There are a couple of notable names not listed on the Opening Day roster, one being Orion Kerkering, who will begin the season on the injured list.
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Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said that the team hopes that he can return within those first 15 days of the IL designation, but the reliever just needs more time to get built up for the regular season.
“He threw the other day, he’s just not ready to go completely,” said the Phillies executive. “That’ll just give him the chance to get ready properly.”
It’s a similar story for Zack Wheeler, who recently pitched in a simulated game. The Phillies hope that Wheeler will be ready shortly after the season beings, but as for now, he’ll start the season on the injured list.
Being named on the Opening Day roster, hearing your name called in front of the home crowd is certainly a big deal and honor, especially for those Phillies who are experiencing it all for the first time, such as Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter.
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That said, it’s also important to remember that the Phillies will use plenty more players over the course of the 162-game season than just the 26 players on the Opening Day roster.
Now, the only question left to answer is what the Phillies’ first lineup of the 2026 will look like.
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