Teams carry 26 players in the postseason, same as they do from April through August before rosters expand to 28 for September.

In October, teams carry either 13 position players and 13 pitchers or 14 position players and 12 pitchers. Most opt for the additional arm, the 13-13 split, but the Phillies appear more likely to go with 14 position players and 12 pitchers, especially in the Best-of-5 Divisional Round.

J.T. Realmuto, Garrett Stubbs, Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas are 11 locks among position players.

Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Carlos Estevez, Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks and Jose Ruiz are 11 locks among pitchers.

That’s 22 of 26, leaving four roster spots total for Austin Hays, Weston Wilson, Cal Stevenson, Kody Clemens and Buddy Kennedy among position players, plus pitchers Taijuan Walker, Kolby Allard, Tyler Gilbert, Max Lazar and potentially Spencer Turnbull.

You look at the list of pitchers and wonder whether any of them would serve an actual role in a seven-game series, much less a five-game series. Walker, Allard, Gilbert or Lazar would only appear if a game is lopsided or extends deep into extra innings. Having two pitchers from that group on the postseason roster would seem redundant, especially with off-days leading up to the NLDS and after Games 2 and 4.

In contrast, the extra position player allows for a bit more managerial strategy and likely a platoon advantage in one more plate appearance per night. In the postseason when every at-bat counts, that could matter.

On Monday night in Milwaukee, Thomson pinch-hit the right-handed Kennedy for the lefty-hitting Stevenson in the seventh inning against a southpaw. The Brewers countered by bringing in right-hander Colin Rea and Thomson responded by replacing Kennedy with left-handed-hitting Clemens, who lined out.

It was a three-player move, the kind you might not be able to make with just four extra position players rather than five.

Hays, if healthy, will likely be on the NLDS roster. He hasn’t hit righties but he’s hit .350 this season against lefties. He’ll meet the Phillies at Citi Field on Thursday and go through a full workout before the team determines where he continues his rehab. The kidney infection that has sidelined him since September 1 is out of his system, Thomson said.

Wilson has been such an important piece against lefties that he, too, seems to have an inside track to a roster spot, especially since he can play both the infield and outfield. Hays’ presence would complicate the picture for Wilson and require the Phillies to carry the 14th position player for the sake of having a lefty bat on the bench (Clemens or Stevenson).

Estevez, Hoffman, Strahm and Kerkering are the Phillies’ core four leverage relievers. Alvarado, Banks and Ruiz are likelier to enter in the fourth, fifth or sixth inning after a short start. But even in the event of a short start, Thomson said he’d feel comfortable using one of his key relievers for more than one inning.

“I think we’re in a good spot,” he said before Wednesday’s series finale against the Brewers. “You’ve got the days off so you can push them a little bit, one-plus a guy. Strahm’s able to do it, Hoffman’s able to do it. Alvarado. Kerkering’s done it. A lot of guys have done it, maybe not lately, but I’m confident they’ll be able to do it again.”

Turnbull is in Clearwater trying to work his way back to the bigs. He’s been out since June 26 with a lat strain. Even if he’s not ready for the NLDS, which begins October 5, he could potentially be in play later in the month if the Phillies advance.

Turnbull threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice session Tuesday in Florida.

“We’re just trying to figure out what to do with him next,” Thomson said, “whether it’s another simulated game or an actual game at Lehigh.”

The Triple A season ends for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Sunday, so time is running out to get Turnbull or Hays into a game there. If they can’t, they’d either continue their work in Clearwater or back north in Philly.

Alvarado will likely be activated from the restricted list in time for Sunday’s series finale against the Braves.

“He will be here today,” manager Rob Thomson said just before 4 p.m. “He’ll come in today and play catch, probably come in tomorrow and touch the mound a little bit and we’ll probably activate him after the game tomorrow.”

The nature of Alvarado’s situation is unclear but it would seem to be a good sign that he’s back so soon. As recently as Tuesday, there was no timetable for his return.

He’s an important piece to have back as one of the Phillies’ three left-handed relievers and part of their late-game formula. Alvarado has been inconsistent and wild since the first week of July, more hittable against lefties with less swing-and-miss, but he’s still a dangerous bullpen weapon because of his 98-99 mph sinker and 93-95 mph cutter.

Rosters expand on Sunday from 26 to 28 so the Phillies shouldn’t need to remove anyone to activate Alvarado. The other player they add will be a position player, likely either Kody Clemens (LH), Cal Stevenson (LH) or Buddy Kennedy (RH).

Bohm out of lineup

Alec Bohm was out of the Phillies’ lineup Friday, a night after injuring his left hand in his first at-bat against Charlie Morton.

Bohm is dealing with soreness and inflammation in his left hand. X-rays Thursday were negative. Thomson initially feared the dreaded hamate injury.

“I was, that was my initial reaction, but the X-rays didn’t reveal structural damage,” he said Friday.

“There’s a little inflammation in there so we’re just trying to knock that out. We’ll try to do treatment during the game and see if he’s available by the end of it.”

Edmundo Sosa started at third base.

Marsh is dealing with a sore right elbow, manager Rob Thomson told reporters, but is expected to play on Tuesday.

The Phillies started Weston Wilson in left field against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober. Minnesota hasn’t named its starter for Wednesday, but if it’s a righty, the Phillies are set to face one in eight consecutive games before likely facing Yankees southpaw Nestor Cortes next Wednesday at home.

That should mean starts every day for Marsh, if the elbow is healthy enough. The Phillies are currently platooning Marsh with Wilson in left field and Johan Rojas with Cristian Pache in center. Pache is facing lefties and Rojas righties. Thomson has also started Edmundo Sosa at second base over the slumping Bryson Stott three games in a row when facing a left-handed starter.

Marsh is having a strong season against right-handers, hitting .290/.373/.500 with 20 of his 21 extra-base hits. He’s gone just 7-for-49 (.143) vs. lefties with 25 strikeouts.

Wilson has started three games as Marsh’s platoon partner since being recalled from Triple A just before the All-Star break and he’s come through each time, going 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored against the A’s, 3-for-5 with a homer Friday in Pittsburgh and 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly on Sunday.

Still, this is a spot — right-handed-hitting outfielder — the Phillies could upgrade ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.

Dahl re-signs

The Phils re-signed outfielder David Dahl to a minor-league deal. He will report to Triple A Lehigh Valley.

Dahl was designated for assignment July 8 and elected free agency two days later. He didn’t find a big-league job and chose to return to an organization that he’s already seen could need a lefty-hitting outfielder should an injury arise.

Dahl homered in his Phillies debut and again the following week in London but went into a slump thereafter, going 8-for-52 with 20 strikeouts. He’s shown four years in a row that he can crush Triple A pitching and returns to the IronPigs with a .340 batting average and 1.076 OPS.

Merrifield signs with Braves, gets hurt

The Braves signed Whit Merrifield to a major-league deal on Monday as Ozzie Albies was placed on the injured list with a fractured wrist that is expected to sideline him until potentially the final week of the regular season.

Injuries have plagued the Braves all year — Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Sean Murphy, Max Fried, Albies — and Merrifield quickly joined the club on Monday afternoon. He took a groundball off a finger on his throwing hand during batting practice and is being listed as day-to-day.

It was a different arrangement against a right-handed starting pitcher than they used Monday, when Marsh started in center, David Dahl played left field and Rafael Marchan caught.

The Phillies faced right-hander Michael King on Tuesday and manager Rob Thomson’s rationale for starting Pache over Dahl was that King has even platoon splits. Lefties entered the night hitting .222 with a .681 OPS off King compared to .215 with a .674 OPS for righties.

It is obviously a much more effective defensive arrangement with Pache in center and Marsh in left than Marsh in center with Dahl in left. Dahl has also slowed down at the plate, going 2-for-24 since his pinch-hit homer in London. He hasn’t walked in 30 plate appearances with the Phils.

Edmundo Sosa began getting pregame work in left field Monday and the first day went well, Thomson said. The Phillies trust Sosa defensively, and Thomson acknowledged that it will be difficult to replicate game action in other settings, so they may trot Sosa out there soon. There isn’t a specific number of practice reps or days the Phillies have in mind, it’s just a matter of Sosa looking comfortable there.

As for the catching situation, Thomson is essentially going back and forth with Stubbs and Marchan, who went 4-for-4 with two RBI in Monday’s win. The Phillies currently have Marchan paired up with Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez and Stubbs paired with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Taijuan Walker. That is subject to change based on matchups and performance.

Suarez starts Wednesday’s 1:05 p.m. series finale so expect to see Marchan back behind the plate.

Here is their group of 26:

Pitchers (13): Jose Alvarado, Cristopher Sanchez, Gregory Soto, Matt Strahm,  Ranger Suarez, Connor Brogdon, Seranthony Dominguez, Jeff Hoffman, Yunior Marte, Aaron Nola, Luis Ortiz, Spencer Turnbull and Zack Wheeler

Catchers (2): J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs

Infielders (5): Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper, Edmundo Sosa, Bryson Stott and Trea Turner

Outfielders (4): Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh, Cristian Pache and Johan Rojas

Utility (1): Whit Merrifield

Designated Hitter (1): Kyle Schwarber

Right-handed pitchers Taijuan Walker (right shoulder soreness), Orion Kerkering (right forearm strain), Dylan Covey (right shoulder strain) and Michael Rucker (right hand) were placed on the 15-day IL. 

Catcher Rafael Marchan (lower back pain) was placed on the 10-day IL. 

All five IL stints are retroactive to March 25, the farthest they can be backdated. 

Walker’s injury late in camp opened the door for Turnbull to be in the season-opening rotation. Turnbull will start Tuesday against the Reds in the fifth game of the year. The Phillies will go with Wheeler, Nola, Suarez, Sanchez and Turnbull in that order.

Kerkering, who had a spot in the bullpen, missed most of March with an illness. He will begin in Triple A and will be back up in the majors once he’s rehabbed and rebuilt arm strength and stamina.

The Phillies’ season opener is Friday at 3:05 p.m. against the Braves on NBC10. Wheeler opposes Braves ace Spencer Strider.

Outfielders David Dahl and Cal Stevenson and utilityman Scott Kingery were reassigned to minor-league camp on Friday afternoon. Earlier in the day, infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson was optioned to Triple A, while right-hander David Buchanan, outfielder Jordan Luplow and catchers Aramis Garcia and Cam Gallagher were reassigned to minor-league camp.

Wilson, who was hit on the hand by a 95 mph fastball on Thursday, had been a longshot candidate to fill the Phillies’ final bench role. His power from the right side and ability to play essentially every position other than catcher should give him a chance to help the Phils at some point in 2024, as he did in 2023.

Dahl, a former first-round pick and All-Star, has hit at Triple A the last two seasons and could be the first corner outfielder up if an injury takes place. The Phillies like Stevenson’s defense in center as a depth guy.

Buchanan was in the mix for the Phillies’ long relief job. There aren’t many candidates left for that spot as Kolby Allard, Max Castillo and Nick Nelson have also been optioned to Triple A and Dylan Covey is sidelined by a shoulder injury.

That leaves Spencer Turnbull, who signed a one-year contract worth $2 million with incentives, as the apparent favorite for the long relief role. The possibility exists that the Phillies ask Turnbull to begin the year at Triple A so he can start and be stretched out in case a rotation need arises in the majors, but Rob Thomson has said multiple times this month that the Phils need someone in the ‘pen capable of giving them length. And if they reach a point where Turnbull isn’t being used and a few weeks in the minors starting every fifth or sixth day would be deemed worthwhile, they could revisit the idea.

Matt Strahm is too useful in other roles to be that guy. Jose Ruiz has never pitched more than two innings in a game. Turnbull looks to be the long reliever/sixth starter. There is also a chance he’s needed for an early spot start or opener-type appearance, depending on when Aaron Nola goes on paternity leave. Nola’s wife, Hunter, is due on April 4.

The Phillies signed Luplow to a minor-league deal last week after he asked the Braves to release him so he could pursue a better opportunity. He’s here to provide outfield depth, along with David Dahl and Cal Stevenson. The composition of the Phillies’ bench will be affected by whether Johan Rojas makes the team. If he does, the bench is likely Whit Merrifield, Edmundo Sosa, Garrett Stubbs and either Cristian Pache or Jake Cave. In that scenario, Cave might have the upper hand to give the Phillies a left-handed pinch-hitting option. If Rojas does not make the team and starts the season at Triple A, both Pache and Cave would be likely to make the Opening Day roster.

It was a strong showing in camp for Garcia, who is ostensibly the Phillies’ third-string catcher right now as Rafael Marchan rehabs a back injury. The 31-year-old hit .393 with five doubles, a home run and seven RBI in 32 plate appearances.

The Phillies’ spring roster is at 35 players, 31 of which are healthy.

Pitchers (19)

Zack Wheeler
Aaron Nola
Ranger Suarez
Taijuan Walker
Cristopher Sanchez

Jose Alvarado
Gregory Soto
Matt Strahm
Jeff Hoffman
Seranthony Dominguez
Spencer Turnbull
Yunior Marte
Connor Brogdon
Andrew Bellatti
Luis Ortiz
Jose Ruiz

Orion Kerkering (unlikely for Opening Day – flu)
Dylan Covey (injured – shoulder)
Michael Rucker (injured – finger)

Catchers (3)

J.T. Realmuto
Garrett Stubbs
Rafael Marchan (injured – back)

Infielders (6)

Bryce Harper
Bryson Stott
Trea Turner
Alec Bohm
Edmundo Sosa
Kody Clemens

Outfielders (6)

Nick Castellanos
Brandon Marsh
Kyle Schwarber
Johan Rojas
Cristian Pache
Jake Cave

Utility

Whit Merrifield

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Pitchers Kolby Allard and Max Castillo, infielder Rodolfo Castro and first baseman Darick Hall were optioned.

Pitchers Austin Brice and Ricardo Pinto and catcher Cody Roberts were sent to minor-league camp.

Allard and Castillo were in the mix for a long relief spot in the Phillies’ bullpen. They will instead apparently begin the season as starters at Triple A, where they’ll remain stretched out in case the Phillies suffer a rotation injury.

Spencer Turnbull, who is on a one-year contract worth $2 million, appears to be the frontrunner for that long relief/sixth starter spot. Dylan Covey hasn’t pitched much because of shoulder tightness and Nick Nelson has struggled in camp.

There wouldn’t have been much playing time in the majors for Hall with Bryce Harper starting at first base, Kyle Schwarber locked in as the designated hitter and the occasional need to use Harper, Nick Castellanos or J.T. Realmuto as the DH. Hall would have been strictly a left-handed bat off the bench. He will begin at Triple A but could find himself back up and playing a meaningful role if Schwarber or Harper is forced to miss time at some point.

The Phillies are down to their final week of Grapefruit League play. Their last spring training game is next Monday, March 25 and they open the regular season three days later at home against the Braves.

The following 50 players remain in camp:

Pitchers (22)

Zack Wheeler
Aaron Nola
Ranger Suarez
Taijuan Walker
Cristopher Sanchez
Spencer Turnbull
Jose Alvarado
Gregory Soto
Matt Strahm
Jeff Hoffman
Seranthony Dominguez
Orion Kerkering (sidelined most of the month by the flu)
Connor Brogdon
Yunior Marte
Andrew Bellatti
Luis Ortiz
Jose Ruiz
Nick Nelson
David Buchanan
Nick Snyder
Michael Rucker (injured – finger)
Dylan Covey (injured – shoulder)

Catchers (6)

J.T. Realmuto
Garrett Stubbs
Aramis Garcia
Rafael Marchan (injured – back)
Cam Gallagher
Will Simoneit

Infielders (7)

Bryce Harper
Bryson Stott
Trea Turner
Alec Bohm
Edmundo Sosa
Kody Clemens
Nick Podkul

Outfielders (12)

Nick Castellanos
Whit Merrifield
Kyle Schwarber
Brandon Marsh
Johan Rojas
Cristian Pache
David Dahl
Simon Muzziotti
Jake Cave
Cal Stevenson
Jordan Luplow
Carlos De La Cruz

INF/OF (3)

Weston Wilson
Scott Kingery
Matt Kroon

Luplow had just been released Thursday by the Braves, who gave him a chance to pursue other opportunities since he wouldn’t be making their Opening Day roster.

The right-handed-hitting Luplow has big-league time with six different teams across seven seasons and spent 2023 with the Blue Jays and Twins. His most playing time came in 2019 with Cleveland when he hit .276/.372/.551 with 15 home runs and 15 doubles in 261 plate appearances. In announcing the move, the Phillies pointed out that he ranks in the Top 10 among active players in pitches seen per plate appearances (min. 1000) at 4.26, which ranks just behind Max Muncy.

Defensively, the metrics peg him as average to slightly above. He’s spent equal time in right field and left field with a few dozen games in center.

Luplow joins a cast of outfielders vying to make the Phillies’ Opening Day roster. Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and Whit Merrifield are locks but everything else is subject to change.

Johan Rojas leads the team in plate appearances this spring as the Phils give him every chance to earn the everyday center field job, though he hasn’t shown much offensive progress, going 5-for-35 with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Cristian Pache is still on the roster and out of minor-league options. Same with Jake Cave. David Dahl is not on the roster and is also out of options. Weston Wilson and Kody Clemens have options remaining.

The Rojas situation affects the composition of the bench because if the Phillies start him off at Triple A instead of the majors, two players could make the team from the group of Pache, Cave, Luplow, Dahl, Wilson, Clemens and Darick Hall instead of just one.

The Rojas situation, the final bench spot(s) and the last two bullpen jobs have provided the only real drama for the Phillies in camp, which is a good thing. They have 11 more games in Florida and close out Grapefruit League play on March 25 before opening the regular season at home against the Braves on March 28.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — David Dahl’s swing was short and sweet Friday afternoon when he greeted top Astros pitching prospect Spencer Arrighetti with a first-pitch RBI double down the right field line.

It was his first at-bat in five days and he joked a couple of hours later that he felt like he was going to pass out rounding first base. Dahl, like many players in the Phillies’ clubhouse, had dealt with an illness during the week that kept him off his feet for several days. Friday was his first game action since Sunday in North Port against the Braves. He started in left field and hit ninth.

Dahl is in camp as a non-roster invitee on a minor-league contract, competing for a final spot on the Phillies’ bench. If Johan Rojas makes the Opening Day roster, only one bench spot would be open for a group that includes Cristian Pache, Jake Cave, Dahl, Weston Wilson and a few other longshots. If Rojas does not make the team and instead begins the season at Triple A, there would be two bench spots open, increasing the chances someone like Dahl makes the roster.

The lefty-hitting former Rockies All-Star is 5-for-19 this spring with two homers and a double.

“He’s been great,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s actually looked pretty good against left-handed pitching, the couple at-bats he’s had. He’s another depth piece for us, another option for us.”

Dahl turns 30 on April 1. He hit .297/.346/.521 from 2016-19 with Colorado and made the NL All-Star team in 2019, when he hit .302 in a career-best .877 OPS in 413 plate appearances.

A shoulder injury altered the course of his career. He struggled through the abbreviated 2020 season while dealing with it, then was non-tendered by the Rockies that December with pandemic cost-cutting cited as a factor.

“It just took a long time to get right,” he said Friday. “I think probably like 2022 is when it finally started feeling better. I’ve played well at Triple A, it’s just about getting the opportunity and taking advantage when you get it.”

He has indeed hit at Triple A. Dahl hit .282/.354/.493 at Triple A in the Dodgers’ system last summer, but they were loaded and never called him up. He hit .294/.357/.468 in 2022 with the Brewers’ Triple A affiliate but didn’t play in the majors that year either.

“Especially against right-handed pitching, I feel like I’ve hit everywhere I’ve gone,” he said. “It’s tough finding the opportunity and when you get the opportunity, you’ve got to take advantage of it. It’s part of the game. I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully it lands.

“This is my 12th spring training so I’m used to it, especially these last couple of years trying to battle for a job. I think the biggest thing is trying to have good at-bats and hit balls hard. Whatever the numbers are, the numbers are, but they’re watching the quality of the at-bat.”

Dahl did major damage against righties from 2016-19 in the majors and has continued to perform against opposite-handed pitching at Triple A. He hit .288 with an .880 OPS vs. righties last season and had similar numbers the year before. It would be a useful skill set on the Phillies’ bench. When considering the left-right balance of the rest of the roster, a lefty-hitting bench piece would seem necessary, whether it’s Dahl or Cave.

“The amount of really good players here — the more good players, I feel like I can up my game,” he said. “Try to just follow these guys and do what they’re doing. A lot of really elite players here and they win, and that’s what I want, I want to win.

“Winning team, winning culture, I’m just trying to mesh and vibe with the guys as much as possible. It’s going well.”

Dahl has started four of the six Grapefruit League games he’s played with the Phillies. In each of the other two, he came off the bench and homered.

It’s crucial this time of year for a player on the bubble to show his manager and front office he has the ability to produce in the role he’d be likely to fill when called upon. Pinch-hitting or coming off the bench cold to hit is a skill not every player possesses. It will take more than doing it a couple of times in camp, but so far, so good.

The Phillies used 20 different position players last season and 26 in 2022, so even if Dahl doesn’t make the Opening Day roster but remains in the organization, he figures to help at some point.

“When I don’t start and come into the game, I take it very seriously to show I can come off the bench, too,” he said. “I think that’s a big thing. Every at-bat’s important in spring training for me right now.”

“We have a high payroll, as you know,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday. “There are challenges because there are different parameters, but we’ll take those challenges when we know we can start off at the top of the rotation with Wheeler and Nola.”

The 2024 payroll

The final season of Wheeler’s five-year, $118 million contract is the figure the Phillies pay. His annual average salary is $23.6 million, substantially lower than the $42 million AAV that kicks in next year with his extension.

The Phillies are carrying a franchise-record payroll of approximately $246 million this season. The number that applies to the Competitive Balance Tax, often referred to as MLB’s luxury tax, is about $262 million.

The luxury tax threshold is $237 million but there are three additional levels with increasing penalties above $257M, $277M and $297M.

The Phillies last season exceeded the tax by about $23 million and paid a penalty of $6.98 million. It was the second straight year they exceeded the tax, so they were hit with a 30 percent penalty on all overages rather than the 20 percent tax for first-timers.

When a team exceeds the tax for three or more consecutive seasons, the penalty is 50 percent for every dollar over the threshold. Teams’ luxury tax figures are calculated at season’s end, but the only way the Phillies won’t exceed it in 2024 is if they crater and sell off a slew of pieces by the trade deadline, an extreme unlikelihood given the resources they’ve invested in this club.

“We set those parameters on a yearly basis,” Dombrowski said. “We’re also very supported — our fans are great that come through the gates, great sponsorship in that regard so we drive revenues, which is always a challenge. There’s a limit to how much we can do. It’s not unlimited. But those will be questions I think we’ll face more at the end of the year once we see how our season progresses.”

Room to add?

The Phillies’ payroll rose by about $35 million from 2021 to 2022, $11 million from 2022 to 2023 and another $7 million from 2023 to 2024.

They’ve added at every turn and continued to make finishing types of moves even when it looked like they were done, bringing in veterans like Craig Kimbrel last winter, Michael Lorenzen last summer and Whit Merrifield this spring.

Is there still room for another major addition if the need arises during or after the season?

“I think there’s a way to do it if it becomes a necessity,” managing partner John Middleton said Monday. “But maybe the star that we add is (Andrew) Painter or (Mick) Abel, or (Johan) Rojas gets all of a sudden comfortable at the plate and he’s starting to hit .285 to .300 with his defense and he’s a star. And (Brandon) Marsh could be a star. (Bryson) Stott, I think, already is a star. He’s a finalist for the Gold Glove. He should be an All-Star in my opinion this year. He could be winning the Gold Glove. That’s what you need.”

The only player from that group who won’t factor in the Phillies’ 2024 plans is Painter, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed last July. He won’t pitch competitively until 2025, unless he’s perhaps able to log a few innings in the Arizona Fall League.

Abel, the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect behind Painter, figures to spend much of the season at Triple A. Making it to the majors in ’24 is his goal and it will be determined in large part by his control.

The 2025 payroll

When the Wheeler extension kicks in, the Phillies will have approximately $216 million committed toward their 2025 payroll with $211 of that allocated to nine players: Wheeler, Nola, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Taijuan Walker and Jose Alvarado.

They also have an $8 million option on Seranthony Dominguez.

Ranger Suarez and Gregory Soto, who earn $5.05M and $5M this season, will be going into their third and final arbitration years with rising salaries. Alec Bohm will be due a raise from his $4M first-year arbitration figure.

The contracts of Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman will come off the books, freeing up $9.7 million, but they’re two important parts of the team who would be either brought back or replaced at a cost via free agency or trade.

So if the Phillies were to exercise Dominguez’ option, keep Suarez, Soto and Bohm at rising salaries and either retain Strahm and Hoffman or replace them with relievers at a similar combined cost, they’d have about $251 million committed toward the 2025 payroll.

That’s without considering them picking up Merrifield’s second-year option or factoring in any of the more minor arbitration raises for players like Marsh, Cristian Pache, Stott and Edmundo Sosa.

This is why it’s so important to have young, cost-controlled players who supplement the roster.

“You’ve got to have some really good youngsters coming up,” Middleton said. “You need people like Stott and Bohm, you need Rojas to develop, and you need Marsh to continue to develop, and you need Abel and Painter and (Griff) McGarry to develop and (Cristopher) Sanchez to develop. You need that. That’s kind of the blend that you have to have to be really successful in baseball, in my experience.”

Turnbull threw 28 pitches. The Marlins swung at 14 of them and half were swinging strikes. They swung-and-missed at his slider five times.

“He was fantastic,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Good velocity, 94, slider was good. Downhill sink. Strikes. He was great. He can pitch, and he’s very poised. He’s not going to scare away from trouble. If he’s throwing strikes, with his stuff, he’s going to be fine.”

Turnbull exited after the fifth inning, walked back to the clubhouse and spent a few minutes with new teammates Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos before talking about his outing.

“I’m here for whatever they need me for. Just trying to make the team and excited to contribute,” he said. “Definitely think my stuff is where I hoped it would be at this point, maybe a little better than I hoped this early in camp.

“All the stuff was working that I mixed in. Threw all my pitches at least once or twice. I was very pleased with execution, especially for the first time feeling genuine adrenaline. I had the gameday jitters again. It was nice to feel that. I was able to settle it down and execute pitches.

“Haven’t felt that anticipation in quite a while. It’s a little extra bump of adrenaline so it’s always a challenge for me to able to settle that down. Felt like I did a good job of that today.”

Turnbull has a four-seam fastball, sinker, slider and curveball, and he’s working on a changeup that he threw earlier in his career.

“I really like my pitch shapes,” he said. “Still getting a feel for a couple of them, but all in all, I’m very pleased.

“Usually I’ve got some good life on my fastball. The sinker and four-seamer kinda play off each other — one goes one way, the other goes the other way. And then off of that, I’ve got a really good slider and a curveball I’ll flip in there, too. Curveball was pretty tight today, as well. Slider was the best it’s been. Working on a good changeup, too, kinda going back to my old changeup. It was a little firm today but I like the movement on it.”

Turnbull is in play for one of the final two spots in the Phillies’ bullpen as a long reliever. The Phils know they will need more than five starters this season, every team does. They added Kolby Allard, Turnbull and Max Castillo, who are competing for that spot with Dylan Covey and Nick Nelson.

Turnbull is on a one-year, $2 million contract and can earn up to $2 million more in incentives. He was non-tendered by the Tigers earlier this offseason, a decade after being drafted in the second round by Detroit when Dave Dombrowski was leading that front office.

The 31-year-old was productive in the shortened 2020 season and the first two months of 2021 before a career-altering injury. In 20 starts over that time, he went 8-6 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, allowing only four home runs in 106⅔ innings. The highlight was a no-hitter on May 18, 2021 in Seattle.

He made just three more starts that year before undergoing Tommy John surgery, not returning to the majors until April 2023.

Turnbull made only seven starts with the Tigers last season. He was optioned to the minor leagues twice and disputed both options because of injury. The Tigers sent him to the minors in May but he was quickly transferred to the injured list after describing neck discomfort.

Nearly three months later, Detroit finally activated Turnbull and again tried to option him to the minor leagues, but he reported a cracked toenail that resulted in another IL stint.

When the season ended, Turnbull was awarded a full year of service time for 2023.

“It’s a frickin’ blessing, man,” he said of joining the Phillies. “I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am to have a new opportunity, a new situation here. It feels night and day different than last year. Extremely thankful and grateful and very excited.”

Other pitching notes

• Taijuan Walker is back in camp after missing a few days last week for personal reasons. He threw on Thursday and felt “general spring training soreness” in his right knee afterward, Thomson said. The Phillies will take it easy with him the next few days before he throws again. Stay tuned.

• Griff McGarry, one of the Phillies’ top pitching prospects who struggled mightily with control late last season in Double A and Triple A, had exactly the sort of Grapefruit League debut he needed from a confidence standpoint. He faced three batters and struck out all three with a fastball that sat 95-96 mph.

“It’s always been control, not command,” Thomson said. “We’re getting him to power the ball through the zone and when he does that, he’s going to have success because he’s got really good stuff.”

• Aaron Nola started against the Marlins and was hit hard in his second start of the spring, allowing seven hits, including three doubles, a lineout and a flyout to the wall in center. The Marlins whiffed on just three of his 36 pitches. Nola’s had one or two of these types of outings every spring since 2016. He’ll likely have three or four more tune-up starts leading into Opening Day March 28.

Thomson said afterward that one of Nola’s objectives in the game was to stay away from his curveball, which he threw more than any other pitch in 2023.

• Friday was a split-squad day for the Phillies. Their other game was in Lakeland against the Tigers, started by Ranger Suarez. The lefty allowed one hit over three scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

Few outfielders have the first step, range and instincts Rojas possesses, but Pache isn’t far off as a defender. His ability to play center field was a primary reason why he was regarded by MLB.com and Baseball America as one of the 15 best prospects in the sport heading into the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

“He’s right there with (Rojas),” manager Rob Thomson said after Thursday’s game. “He can defend at any position in the outfield.”

Pache didn’t hit with the Braves and didn’t hit with the A’s. The Phillies acquired him from Oakland the day before Opening Day 2023, and in a small sample size of 95 plate appearances, he held his own offensively. He arrived in Philadelphia a career .156/.205/.234 hitter in 115 games. With the Phils, he hit .238/.319/.417 with 10 extra-base hits and a league-average OPS.

Fast forward to this spring training and he’s been one of the Phillies’ early offensive standouts, going 3-for-7 with two home runs, including one Thursday in Dunedin against the Blue Jays. Early Friday afternoon, he made a sensational snag of a deep line drive to left field by Miami’s Bryan De La Cruz.

“I’m feeling great,” Pache said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “I’m doing my routine with Kevin Long and the rest of the coaching staff and that has given me a lot of results. I worked through the offseason into spring training.

“I feel great, I feel familiar. I can say that I feel more comfortable now. I think I found something in my swing and that’s been the key. I’m with my family and friends here (in Florida) and I’m trying to work hard to get a job. I feel comfortable in Philly. Just trying to do the best work I can to help the organization.”

Pache was on a nice run at the plate last summer when right elbow pain surfaced from a screw that had been inserted there in 2016. He had hit .372 with seven doubles and two home runs in the 47 plate appearances leading up to that injury, including a game-winning pinch-hit homer in Miami just before he was placed on the IL. He came back in September and struggled at the plate, but overall, the season was a step in the right direction.

“The bat just seems to keep on getting better,” Thomson said. “As soon as we got him last year, K-Long went to work on him and he started hitting left-handers. Now, it looks like he has a chance to maybe hang with right-handers.

“It’s been great. He’s been letting the ball travel and using the entire field. He’s strong, he’s got power. If he gets the ball up in the air and swings at strikes, he’ll have some success.”

Comfort, as always, plays a role. Pache didn’t have much time a year ago to get to know his new teammates and it took a few months until his personality began to show.

Pache is trying to solidify a roster spot and potentially start more than expected in center field if Rojas doesn’t hit, but this isn’t the same sort of pressure that he felt in Atlanta, where he was trying to prove he was as good as advertised, or in Oakland, where he was the centerpiece of the Athletics’ return for star first baseman Matt Olson.

“I can say that I was a little bit overexcited during those moments,” he said. “I tried to prove myself too much doing more than I could at the moment. But right now, I have a different mentality and that’s helped.

“I’m going to work hard. I have to work hard. That’s the only thing that I can do and that I can control.”

Edmundo Sosa had fouled a ball off his foot and was scratched, and Trea Turner had made the long trip to Fort Myers to play in the previous day’s game, so manager Rob Thomson went with Wilson, a 29-year-old with the most realistic chance of his career to make an Opening Day roster.

Wilson had a dynamic 2023 season at Triple A, hitting 31 home runs to break Rhys Hoskins’ IronPigs record and stealing 32 bases. It earned him three separate short-term call-ups to the majors and he held his own, reaching in 11 of 22 plate appearances with a homer, four singles and six walks.

In those eight games, Wilson played first base, second base, third base and both outfield corners. With Lehigh Valley, he started 75 games at shortstop.

“We know he can play defense in any position really except behind the plate,” Thomson said. “That’s really valuable for us. But if he continues to show us good at-bats and good swings, which he has so far, I’m pretty happy with it. He looks good.”

The Phillies have one, possibly two spots open on their bench. If Johan Rojas makes the team as the starting centerfielder, there will likely be just one spot for a slew of candidates led by Jake Cave, Cristian Pache and Wilson.

“I’m just coming to the field every day to be a good teammate and provide value to this team, which I think I do being able to play all over the field,” Wilson said. “Have consistent, quality at-bats in spring training and a lot of that other stuff is out of my control. It’s tough. I’ve got to put that to the side, all the outside stuff. But I feel like I have a good shot to make this team and provide some value.”

The Phillies signed Wilson to a minor-league deal in January 2023. He had become a free agent after spending seven seasons in the Brewers’ system. He wasn’t this kind of hitter, though.

During the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, he worked out in California with a hitting coach who altered his bat path and how he used his lower half. It led to success in his first taste of Triple A in 2021, when he hit .267 with a .902 OPS and 16 home runs in just 246 plate appearances. His season ended prematurely because of a blood clot near his right shoulder.

“I was on pace to do very similar things to what I did last year,” he recalled. “And then after that surgery, having the blood clot removed, I think I put a lot of pressure on myself in 2022, just putting pressure on myself to get to the big leagues because I was right there. I saw a bit of a decline in my numbers. And then this last year, in ’23, I come in here and the Phillies, the first thing they say to me is we don’t care what you do, if you strike out four times in a row, just go be an athlete. I think it freed me up to get back to what I felt in 2021. About three weeks to a month into the season, I started feeling that again. I kinda stayed with that the whole year and it’s been something I worked on this offseason, just stay where I was last year.”

One of the things that helped Wilson last season was the quick connection he formed with veteran Phillies teammates, notably Nick Castellanos, who gave Wilson a place to stay during the season when he was called up. Every bit of financial help can matter for a player who’s grinded through years in the minor leagues chasing his big-league dream.

“It’s incredible. To come to a new place and feel at home right away takes a lot of pressure off you to perform,” he said. “You just feel like you’re a part of the team. I feel like they did a really good job of building a culture here that guys gravitate towards. It doesn’t matter their status or how much guys are getting paid, you don’t feel like anybody is over anybody. Everybody was very welcoming.

“That and then Casty letting me stay at his house when I got called up, I’m very grateful for that. It’s a financial burden sometimes when you’re bouncing all over the place and I haven’t necessarily made much money in my career at all. And so I was very blessed and grateful for that.”

Wilson is 3-for-10 with a double and a homer in the early days of camp. He has minor-league options remaining and that could factor into the decision because Cave and Pache do not. If the Phillies want to send Wilson to the minors, they could option him. If they want to send Cave or Pache to the minors, they have to pass them through waivers first.

But even if Wilson isn’t at Citizens Bank Park on March 28 when the Phils open up against the Braves, he’s a good bet to be up at some point in 2024. The Phillies used a combined 100 players in 2022 and 2023.

“Honestly, I’ve always felt like I could play in the big leagues,” he said. “You’ve got to play with a chip on your shoulder. I’m a late-round guy. Not that the 17th round is the end of the world, but I had to overcome a lot of adversity in my career. I think some of that has built me for the moment.”

A lot can change in a year. Painter injured his elbow that day and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery in July. He’ll spend the season rehabbing and won’t factor into the Phillies’ 2024 plans.

The opportunity was there, but the situation did not play out how Painter or the Phillies would have hoped. The same could be said for first baseman/DH Darick Hall, who is less heralded but was also in a prime spot to earn ample playing time a year ago at this time with Bryce Harper on the mend from Tommy John surgery. Harper’s injury meant Kyle Schwarber would spend more time in left field and that opened up the designated hitter spot for Hall, who was coming off a 28-homer season at Triple A with nine more in the majors. Then Rhys Hoskins tore his ACL on March 23 and Hall became even more important to the Phillies with first base open.

Hall started five of the Phillies’ first six games before tearing a ligament in his right thumb sliding into second base at Yankee Stadium on April 5. That was pretty much it for him in the majors last season, aside from a difficult three-week stretch in July.

He enters this camp in a much different spot. Barring injuries, the Phillies appear to have just one bench spot up for grabs. Hall is a longshot competing with Cristian Pache, Jake Cave, Weston Wilson, Kody Clemens and non-roster invitees like Scott Kingery, Cal Stevenson and David Dahl.

“I definitely smelled blood in the water (last spring). I felt like there was a real chance to be a starter somewhere,” Hall said Monday after homering to right field against the Red Sox. “I was really, really pleased with how my year went the year before, I felt like I took some big strides forward at the plate. And then I kept it going, spring I was hitting well and just trying to mix in where I could — first base, outfield.

“I was really just super excited with where I was. It was the most excited I’ve ever been in my career because I felt like the thing I loved the most, which was hitting, was getting to a level I’ve never experienced where I’m starting to hit a lot of home runs, starting to hit for average, starting to walk, starting to do cool things. Obviously the injury happens and it was a bigger setback than I thought. I thought when I got to play again that it would be exactly how it was. I have a greater respect for how other people handle it now. I think it made me better as a person.”

Pache and Cave are out of minor-league options. Hall, Wilson and Clemens have option(s) remaining, which means the Phillies can send them to the minor leagues without having to pass them through waivers first. The reality of major-league roster construction is that players who have options left are easier to trim from the active roster.

“I’m just trying to get rolling because I think there’s still a place,” Hall said. “It could be a bench role, it could be a spot start here and there. However they choose to use me, they’ll use me. But I think it’s just my responsibility not to think about that.

“Without there being that spot like last year, I’m OK with that, I’m just trying to be the best I can be and be able to be used early. Last year was such a weird year. It was a very emotional year, emotional highs, emotional lows. Scratching and clawing. It was a learning year, too. It was really my first time dealing with a major injury. I think I pushed myself too hard. I wish I would’ve given myself a little more grace. I was really pushing hard. I got good results from it, but it could have been different if I would have known how to handle it better.”

The 28-year-old Hall finished strong at Triple A, hitting .321/.403/.624 over his final 42 games with 15 homers and 39 RBI. He ended at .313 for the season. It was a much-needed confidence boost for a player who has an attribute — left-handed power — that has a place on major-league benches.

“I did something that I’ve never really done when I was in the minor leagues — I hit .300 for the first time,” he said. “And sure, it was a smaller sample size, but it was still about 80 games, and that was just coming back off an injury. I felt like, in a way, I was still able to get better even though I didn’t have as much time in the big leagues as I thought I would have.

“I was just a different player later in the summer. It just seemed like I lost my power stroke there for a little bit, and then later in the summer it was like, woah. It came back.”

Pache, Hall, Wilson, Cave and Kingery were all in the Phillies’ lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Twins. They’re taking part in one of the only battles of camp. There are also two spots up for grabs in the bullpen.