Philadelphia Phillies Roster
- NL East
- Stadium
- Citizens Bank Park
The Philadelphia Phillies and infielder Josh Harrison agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal. Harrison was one of the few remaining infielders left in free agency, and he is expected to make an impact in Philly. The 35-year-old spent his 2022 campaign with the Chicago White Sox and slashed .256/.317/.370 with a .687 OPS and 27 RBI. This was a slight drop off from 2021, when he amassed a 10 OPS+, but Harrison continues to utilize his bat despite his high age. He spent most of the season at second base but also saw considerable reps at third. The Phillies will likely platoon Harrison in the infield and hope his bat contributes. He is mainly an option in deep-league and NL-Only formats.
The Philadelphia Phillies re-signed right-hander Mark Appel to a minor-league deal on Tuesday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training. The 31-year-old made his MLB debut with the Phils in 2022 after being drafted first overall in 2013 by the Houston Astros out of Stanford. He didn't stick around long, though, and landed on the injured list due to an elbow injury. In six relief appearances, Appel allowed two earned runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out five. He will have to be healthy in spring training to have any shot of winning an Opening Day spot in Philly's revamped bullpen in 2023.
Philadelphia Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski said that outfielder Bryce Harper's (elbow) rehab has been going well and that Harper should start swinging a bat around the end of March. Dombrowski also said that Harper should be back in the lineup right around the All-Star game, which fits with the original timeline that the Phillies gave after he had Tommy John surgery in November. When the former MVP slugger does return to the lineup, it will be as the designated hitter. Harper still hit a strong .286 with an .877 OPS in 99 games for the Phillies in 2022, but his power was down with only 18 home runs as a result of his elbow injury that he played through. But when he's right, he's a game-changer on offense for the Phils and fantasy managers alike.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic has projected Philadelphia Phillies top pitching prospect Andrew Painter to make the Opening Day rotation. Painter, 20, had one of the most impressive seasons for any pitcher this past season with a 1.56 ERA, 155 strikeouts, 25 walks and a 6-2 record over 103 2/3 innings between Low-A and Double-A. Nothing seemed to intimidate the 6'7 right-hander and there seems to be a true chance that the big leagues could be his next stop. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has a history of promoting his young arms ahead of their projection dates and some believe that he is already sold on Painter with the team primed to compete for a World Series title. This could be a long shot with Painter still working to improve his secondary pitches and the possibility of an innings limit, but Painter is still a name that fantasy managers in all formats should be keeping a keen eye on this spring. If he does break camp, he should be an early Rookie of the Year candidate.
The Philadelphia Phillies and left-handed starting pitcher Ranger Suarez avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.95 million deal. In a full-time starter role in the big leagues for the first time, Suarez handled himself rather well in 2022, going 10-7 with a 3.65 ERA (3.87 FIP), 1.33 WHIP and 19.5 percent strikeout rate in 155 1/3 frames over 29 starts. Even more exciting was the fact that the 27-year-old southpaw was much better in the second half of the year and in the playoffs to help the Phillies to a World Series appearance. Suarez doesn't strike out a ton of batters (career 7.9 K/9) and isn't overpowering anyone, so he'll need to continue to induce weak contact in order to thrive for fantasy managers in mixed leagues in a hitter-friendly ballpark.
