Phillies’ outfield depth is so bad that somehow Edmundo Sosa is now a “necessary” solution

I could sit here and write a million questions about how a team that’s supposed to be a championship contender is so thin in the outfield that moving Edmundo Sosa—originally just a fun little spring training experiment—is now a legitimate necessity for the Phillies.

How did we get here? Was there some mass exodus of right-handed outfield bats I missed? Did the Phillies front office just forget depth matters when you’re playing 162 games?

Look, I get that losing Weston Wilson for six weeks hurts, but if a 29-year-old utility infielder with a handful of career outfield reps is suddenly your Plan B (or is it Plan A now?), then that tells me there wasn’t much of a plan to begin with.

With Weston Wilson sidelined for at least six weeks due to a Grade 2 oblique strain, the Phillies’ need for a right-handed-hitting outfield option just became urgent. Wilson was penciled in as a bench bat who could also provide some flexibility in the outfield—now, that plan is scrapped, and the Phillies are looking for solutions.

The Phillies knew all winter that Brandon Marsh and Max Kepler were giving them a left-heavy outfield and that Johan Rojas is still a wild card offensively. Wilson was always a fringe major leaguer at best, yet his injury has now thrown the Phillies’ outfield depth into full-on crisis mode. How?

Edmundo Sosa: From Utility Man to…Outfielder?

Enter Edmundo Sosa, who has been quietly putting in outfield reps every day at Phillies camp with coaches Paco Figueroa and Andy Abad. Last year, the idea of Sosa in the outfield was more of a hypothetical experiment—this year, it’s an actual contingency plan.

“Last year, we did sort of a test drive in the outfield, two or three days, let’s try it out and see how it goes. But this year we’re fully invested in this new role.”

Sosa will be seeing time in left field and center field this spring, and manager Rob Thomson wants to get him into a game “sooner rather than later”, possibly within the next week.

Edmundo Sosa could make sense in the outfield…I guess

I’ll give Edmundo Sosa credit—he mashes lefties (.284/.347/.514 last year) and is athletic enough to survive out there. But let’s be honest—we’re deep in “this guy has played outfield in beer league softball” territory. The Phillies toyed with this idea last summer before shelving it. Now, they have no choice but to take it seriously.

With Johan Rojas struggling offensively, the Phillies need a right-handed-hitting alternative to pair with Brandon Marsh in center field. Sosa, who was already valuable as a backup infielder, could now play an even bigger role if he can hold his own in the outfield.

Phillies Outfield Depth Chart as of Today:

• LF: Max Kepler
• CF: Brandon Marsh
• RF: Nick Castellanos
• 4th OF: Edmundo Sosa???
• Backup Plan: Johan Rojas?
• Buddy Kennedy?

The fact that we’re even having this conversation about Sosa in the outfield as a necessary move tells me they miscalculated badly.

Championship teams don’t go into Spring Training hoping their utility infielder suddenly becomes an outfielder because of one minor injury.

Figure it out, Phillies…lol

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