Every Player in the Phillies’ Bench Battle: Who Will Earn a Spot?

The Phillies don’t have a ton of roster questions heading into 2025, but the battle for the final bench spots is shaping up to be one of the more intriguing storylines of Spring Training.

With Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford not in consideration (they need full-time at-bats in the minors), it’s a crowded competition between journeymen, utility guys, and unproven hitters looking to secure a role as a part-time bat.

Some of these guys have pop, some bring positional versatility, and some are simply hanging on for dear life in the majors. So, who has the best shot?

Buddy Kennedy

Why He Could Make It

✅ Right-handed hitter (a clear need on this roster)
✅ Has MLB experience, even if it’s limited
✅ Clutch factor? He delivered some big hits for Arizona last season
✅ Can play all over the infield
✅ Hometown kid (Millville, NJ), which will make him a fan favorite

Why He Might Not

❌ Slashed a rough .203/.295/.313 in his first 54 MLB games
❌ No remaining minor league options, so if the Phillies send him down, they risk losing him
❌ 88 errors in 411 professional games raises questions about his defensive reliability

Verdict: If Kennedy shows anything offensively, his right-handed bat and versatility give him a shot. But the lack of options hurts him.

Kody Clemens

Why He Could Make It

✅ More MLB experience than most on this list (146 career games)
✅ Oddly, he hits left-handed pitching well despite being a lefty
✅ Has some pop (14 career homers, 48 RBI)
✅ Can play multiple positions—including pitcher, which is fun

Kody Clemens oppo taco off Scherzer in Dunedin pic.twitter.com/znLnz1IFGI

— John Foley (@2008Philz) March 2, 2025

Why He Might Not

❌ Another guy with no minor league options
❌ Left-handed hitter, which doesn’t solve the Phillies’ need for righty pop
❌ Career slash line: .200/.246/.373 (not inspiring)

Clemens is familiar with the organization and has had some clutch moments which leaves him atop of the list to earn a spot out of Clearwater, but with limited upside and no minor league options, he might not be the best fit.

Cal Stevenson

Why He Could Make It

✅ Started spring hot, hitting a double and stealing a base early
✅ Excellent defender, can cover a lot of ground in the outfield
✅ Has an option left, giving the Phillies flexibility

Why He Might Not

❌ Can’t hit lefties at all
❌ .172 career batting average—that’s not a typo
❌ Zero power (one career homer)

Stevenson has the speed and glove to be an interesting piece, but his bat is a huge liability. Tough to justify a roster spot when the Phillies already have Johan Rojas as a light-hitting outfielder.

Christian Arroyo

Why He Could Make It

✅ Right-handed hitter who can hit lefties well
✅ Solid MLB track record—has played 295 games in the majors
✅ Can play all over the field
✅ Career .252 hitter—which doesn’t sound great, but is better than most of this list

Christian Arroyo is a Howie-level signing.pic.twitter.com/H3UH10f0yI

— Blake (@BlakeIFox) February 23, 2025

Why He Might Not

❌ Injuries and poor performance kept him in the minors in 2024
❌ Not a power or speed guy
❌ No minor league options

If Arroyo looks healthy and produces this spring, he’s probably one of the safest bets to win a job. He fits the mold of a Phillies bench piece—veteran, versatile, and won’t kill you at the plate. He might be unknown to Phillies’ fans but if he does enough this Spring, then you’ll be seeing him a lot more in 2025.

Rodolfo Castro

Why He Could Make It

✅ Switch-hitter (versatility always helps)
✅ Can play multiple positions
✅ 194 MLB games under his belt
✅ Just 25 years old, so there’s still some upside

Why He Might Not

❌ His numbers as a righty are bad (.191 average vs. lefties)
❌ Career slash line: .219/.292/.380—not much better than the other guys
❌ No minor league options

Castro has the experience, but his numbers as a right-handed hitter are disappointing and I’m personally still not over the fact he has held a 40-man roster spot for this long, specifically over Scott Kingery in 2024. There’s no chance he makes this roster.

Óscar Mercado

Why He Could Make It

✅ Legit MLB production—at least once (hit .269 with 15 HR and 15 SB as a rookie)
✅ Right-handed hitter, which the Phillies need
✅ Can play solid outfield defense

Why He Might Not

❌ Hasn’t been the same player since his rookie season (.206 average, 11 HR in 184 games since)
❌ Strictly an outfielder, limiting his value
❌ No minor league options

If the Phillies trust his glove and think he can still hit lefties, Mercado might be in the mix. The issue here is that he’s been trending in the opposite direction ever since his rookie season and that might be a trend the Phillies cannot stop.

Gabriel Rincones Jr.

Why He Could Make It

✅ Has big-time power potential
✅ Still just 23 years old
✅ Has all of his minor league options left, making him easy to stash
✅ Already homered this spring

Gabriel Rincones JR is on FIRE 🔥🔔#RingTheBell | #Phillies pic.twitter.com/CMFc3UZBpf

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) March 2, 2025

Why He Might Not

❌ No MLB experience
❌ Left-handed hitter—not ideal for what the Phillies need
❌ Limited defensive versatility (outfield only)

Gabriel Rincones Jr isn’t making the team out of camp, but if an outfielder goes down, he could get a look later in the year. I broke down his current heater in Clearwater which you can check out by clicking the link below.

Gabriel Rincones Jr. keeps making his case for a future Phillies role in the big leagues

Final Prediction for the Phillies Bench: Who Wins the Job?

It’s still early, but here’s how I see it shaking out:

🔥 My Locks to Make the Team:
1️⃣ Christian Arroyo (right-handed bat, defensive versatility, solid MLB track record)
2️⃣ Kody Clemens (lefty on lefty crime, MLB experience)

🔄 Bubble Guys Who Could Make It:
3️⃣ Óscar Mercado (if the Phillies want an extra outfielder who can hit lefties)
4️⃣ Buddy Kennedy (the kid from Millville, NJ)

🚀 Potential Call-Ups Later in the Season:

• Gabriel Rincones Jr. (if the Phillies need power)
• Cal Stevenson (if they need speed/defense in a pinch)

With Weston Wilson hurt and the Phillies needing right-handed bats, Arroyo feels like the safest bet. Beyond that, it’ll come down to who produces in the next few weeks. Either way, the Phillies’ bench battle is one of the more competitive spring training storylines, and whoever wins a spot will have to earn it.

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