Despite the feeling that the Philadelphia Phillies are running it back in 2026, there are a good number of new faces who will be announced during the home-opening festivities when the Phillies welcome the Texas Rangers to Citizens Bank Park on Thursday.
In fact, there are 11 players who were not on last year’s Opening Day roster that will suit up in red pinstripes this week, including a revamped bullpen with six new arms, a new starting pitcher in the rotation and two outfielders and bench bats rounding out the initial roster.
Realmuto was penciled in to be the starting catcher once he re-signed with the Phillies this offseason. The bigger storyline behind the plate was who would be his backup?
For the second straight season, Marchán beat out Garrett Stubbs for the backup catcher job, making the future for Stubbs with the organization murky.
The team will look to trade Stubbs to avoid having to designate him for assignment. If they cannot, then he will be DFA’d and removed from the 40-man roster. If he clears waivers, he could accept a trip back to Lehigh Valley, where he helped develop pitchers in Triple-A, including Andrew Painter.
A lot has been made of Harper's upcoming season after he had a down 2025. The 33-year-old played in 132 games last year, hitting 27 homers and driving in 75 runs.
Whether or not Harper is still elite remains to be seen and up to him. However, where he will hit in the lineup is still a question. During the World Baseball Classic, he was penciled in the two-hole for Team USA. He has primarily been hitting third for the Phillies, but perhaps Rob Thomson will make some lineup switches.
Stott and the Phillies hope that the hand adjustment he made to help put together a strong second half and Spring Training carries over into the regular season.
The glove is already there for Stott, but if he elevates his offense, it will be a major boost for the lineup.
Finishing fifth in the NL MVP voting after leading the National League with his .304 batting average, he will be the table setter once again atop the lineup entering his fourth season in Philadelphia.
There was some speculation that the Phillies would move Bohm during the offseason. That never came into fruition. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and will have plenty to play for to try to cash in on a lucrative contract at season’s end.
Barring a major setback, Crawford was all but written in pen to be the Opening Day starting centerfielder.
He will wear #2 when the Phillies take the field Thursday, wearing the same number as his cousin, J.P. Crawford, who wore it during his tenure in Philadelphia.
The rookie will more than likely be hitting eighth or ninth in the lineup and will look to create havoc on opposing pitchers and defenses with his bat-to-ball ability and his top-line speed once he gets on base.
He looks to infuse youth and more athleticism into the everyday lineup.
The National League runner-up finished with 56 homers a season ago, only behind Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, the most in MLB. Schwarber resigned with the Phillies on a five-year, $150 million contract.
It isn’t a surprise that Moore made the roster with the team looking for a super utility guy to take one of the spots. Moore fits that bill, playing eight of nine positions in his career while winning a Gold Glove as a utility player in 2024 with Seattle.
Moore is not going to be relied on heavily as a bat off the bench, posting a career .206 batting average in seven seasons in the bigs.
All eyes will be on how Painter does after the Phillies cleared the runway for one of the top pitching prospects in the game to become part of the rotation.
Painter has thrown the ball well over his last couple of Spring Training starts and is slated to make his big league debut on March 31 against the Washington Nationals.
Sánchez signed a new, six-year deal that begins next season and runs through the 2032 season, with a club option for 2023. The new contract will pay the southpaw just under $60 million for his age 34 and 35 seasons.
Per the Athletic’s Matt Gelb, the total guarantee is $107 million for the southpaw who took a major step forward last season, being one of the top pitchers in the sport, finishing second in the NL Cy Young voting.
The Phillies revamped their bullpen with the additions of Keller, Bowlan, Backhus and Pop.
Keller had a strong season with the Cubs last year in his first full season as a reliever, where he made a career-high 68 appearances, posting a 2.07 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 69 ⅔ innings.
Bowlan, who has a heavy sinker, has looked solid in the majority of his appearances this spring and begins his first season in Philadelphia after being traded from Kansas City in the Matt Strahm deal.
Backhus is a funky lefty who the Phillies signed to a one-year deal after his debut season with Arizona last year, where he held left-handed hitters to a .139 average and a .503 OPS.
Zack Wheeler, Orion Kerkering and Max Lazar will start the season on the IL.
Zach McCambley, the Phillies’ Rule 5 Draft pick, will have a chance to head back to Miami, similar to Griff McGarry, who did not make the Nationals' Opening Day as their Rule 5 selection and is expected to return to the Phillies.
