Philadelphia Phillies Roster
- NL East
- Stadium
- Citizens Bank Park
Philadelphia Phillies right-handed pitcher Vince Velasquez gets another turn through the rotation Friday and must combat an Atlanta lineup that he has gone 1-6 with a 5.20 ERA against in his career. While strikeouts have not been an issue in his matchups with Atlanta (64 in 53 innings), his 1.59 WHIP has caused runners to litter the basepaths. Velasquez has not been on the bump since July 26 due to cancellations, having thrown just 60 pitches in his season debut against the Marlins. A popular DFS pick due to his propensity to pile up strikeouts, Velasquez is in a tough spot Friday; with nearly a full slate of arms to pick from, owners are likely better off looking other places.
Philadelphia Phillies right-handed pitcher Spencer Howard ranks as the clubs No. 2 prospect and when manager Joe Girardi was asked whether he may be tabbed to start Sunday's game versus Atlanta, he answered with a coy stay tuned. Howard was masterful across three Minor League levels last season, compiling a 2.03 ERA in 15 starts; he promptly followed that up by stymying batters in the Arizona Fall League with 27 strikeouts in 21 innings with zero home runs allowed and a 2.11 ERA. The news that Howard could make his Major League debut as soon as this weekend should send owners of keepers clubs scrambling to the waiver wire, as the 24-year-old Howard projects to be a considerable cog in the Philadelphia rotation for years to come.
Philadelphia Phillies right-handed pitcher Zach Eflin is not expected to have a long leash Thursday against the Yankees. As Eflin has been ramping up to make his season debut, he got up to as many as 60 pitches last week, which could prevent him from going deep into his start. Combine the righty's potential pitch count with the fact that he is facing a formidable Yankees lineup and its not likely that owners should target Eflin in DFS. Moving forward, there is some optimism around Eflin being a cog in the Philadelphia rotation, as he posted career bests in 2019 at limiting sweet spot contact (30.1%) and hard hit balls (32.8%). Owners will likely want to wait until Eflin is ramped up to a full allotment of pitches before rostering him in most formats.
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper is in the starting lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the New York Yankees. There was a slight scare that something was wrong with 27-year-old after he left early from the first game. It seems as though the Phillies were just cautious with their star slugger, as he is back batting third in the lineup and starting in right field. Harper was 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, two runs scored, and a walk in the early contest.
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper was replaced in the bottom of the sixth inning after reaching on a fielder's choice in the top half. Harper beat out a throw but manager Joe Girardi signaled for the trainer to check on him, though he did stay in the game at the time. In the bottom half of the sixth inning, Adam Haseley replaced Harper in right field. It's not yet known what happened, so check back on the status of Harper.