Philadelphia Phillies

Orion Kerkering

RP

Kerkering is eligible for activation from the 15-day injured list April 6, and making back-to-back appearances points to him being ready to go on that date. He's been working his way back from a strained hamstring that knocked out most of his spring training.

Aidan Miller

SS

The nagging back injury has been bothering Miller going back to the fall, and his baseball activity is apparently still pretty limited as he's opened the campaign on Triple-A Lehigh Valley's injured list. Once cleared for all activities, the 21-year-old top prospect will need some time to build up to game readiness after missing all of spring training.

Zack Wheeler

SP

Heading into the rehab start, the Phillies had planned for Wheeler to cover three innings or 50 pitches. The right-hander was even more economical than the Phillies had hoped, needing only 38 pitches to record nine outs in what was his first official game since Aug. 15, 2025. After undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery in September, Wheeler has had a fairly seamless recovery thus far and appears on track to return from the 15-day injured list around mid-April. He'll continue to build up his innings and pitch count in his next rehab start, which is set to come Friday versus Triple-A Durham.

Daniel Robert

RP

Medical personnel administered a defibrillator, and Robert is said to be stable and alert following his hospitalization. The right-hander hadn't appeared in any Grapefruit League games this spring after a cardiovascular issue was detected in his medical exams prior to the start of camp. In the wake of Robert experiencing another cardiac-related emergency Sunday, the Phillies are likely to proceed even more cautiously with his return to baseball activities.

Keaton Anthony

1B

Anthony is expected to undergo surgery later this week to repair the damage, and a timetable for his return could be revealed following the operation. Once healthy, Anthony is likely to be assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Andrew Bechtold

3B

Bechtold spent a bit of time as a two-way player with the Triple-A affiliate of the Twins in 2023, but he was lit up for 22 earned runs on 22 hits and 24 walks over 18 innings. The 27-year-old corner infielder had far more success at the plate, registering an .800 OPS across 73 games for the St. Paul Saints. It's unclear whether he'll continue with the pitching pursuit in Toronto's system.

Max Lazar

RP

The right-hander suffered the injury during the World Baseball Classic, and his availability for the start of the regular season. Lazar made 36 regular-season appearances for the Phillies last year and had a 4.79 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 26:12 K:BB over 41.1 innings.

Johan Rojas

CF

Word of Rojas' looming suspension came out earlier this month, and Rojas lost his appeal. He won't be eligible to play in the regular season until late June. With Rojas set to miss the first half of the season, Justin Crawford and Brandon Marsh should see somewhat regular playing time in the Philadelphia outfield. Rojas posted an underwhelming .569 OPS across 172 plate appearances at the big-league level last regular season.

Michael Mercado

RP

Mercado made three appearances out of the Philadelphia bullpen in 2025, but a right shoulder injury prevented him from making any Grapefruit League appearances and will end his bid for an Opening Day roster spot. The Phillies haven't shed much light regarding where Mercado stands in his throwing program, making it unclear if he'll be ready for the start of the minor-league season.

Mark Kolozsvary

C

Kolozsvary appeared in just 30 games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester in the Red Sox organization in 2025 before landing on the full-season injured list in June. The Phillies don't have a clear replacement for free agent J.T. Realmuto behind the plate, but regardless the 30-year-old Kolozsvary hasn't made an appearance in the majors since 2022 and should be viewed as a long shot to break camp.

Christian McGowan

RP

It's the second Tommy John operation in McGowan's career, which means his absence will probably extend well beyond a year. Despite being used mostly as a starting pitcher, McGowan has not thrown more than 40.1 innings in a season since being taken in the seventh round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft.