Philadelphia Phillies DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (knee) said he is feeling good and played catch on Saturday. He plans to play catch again on Sunday from a longer distance. Phillies skipper Rob Thomson said that Walker threw batting practice and came in with "normal spring training soreness" in his right knee. The veteran's goal is to throw off a mound in the next few days. The 31-year-old enjoyed a solid season in 2023, his first with the Phillies, as he worked to a 4.38 ERA while taking the ball for a career-high 31 starts and 172 2/3 innings of work. He did, however, go 15-6 in that time behind a strong Phillies offense. On the downside, he struck out just 18.8% of his opponents and is a fading fantasy asset at this time.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos went hitless in a pair of at-bats in Friday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Miami Marlins. The veteran flew out to center field in his first trip to the plate in the second inning before lining out to third base in the fourth. The hitless effort lowered his spring-training average to just .125 (1-for-8) with a pair of strikeouts against zero walks across eight trips to the plate. The 31-year-old was involved in minor trade speculation this offseason on the heels of a season that saw him hit .272 with 29 home runs, 11 stolen bases, and a career-high 106 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Aside from an odd 2022 season, Castellanos is a fairly safe power bet with ATC projecting 24 home runs, eight stolen bases, 87 RBI, and a .263 average for the outfielder in the 2024 season.

The Detroit Tigers have claimed infielder Buddy Kennedy off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals designated the 25-year-old for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for the recently signed Brandon Crawford. Kennedy has appeared in each of the last two big-league seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, logging 123 plate appearances in that time. However, he has hit just .206 with one homer and a .592 OPS across 40 appearances. He fared much better at Triple-A, however, hitting .318 with five home runs, three stolen bases, and a .925 OPS across 90 games with Triple-A Reno within the D-backs organization last season. Infielder Andre Lipcius has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Last season, Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott struggled to attack good pitches and lay off bad ones. Despite that, he posted respectable offensive numbers. He now wants to improve his plate aggression while swinging at more hittable pitches. If successful, he could get even more hits than the 164 he had in 2023. This would make him one of the most valuable contact hitters in 2024. On top of that, Stott is also a threat to steal over 30 bases.

Philadelphia Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa (foot) was scratched from the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Wednesday due to a left-foot contusion. He's listed as day-to-day after fouling a ball off his foot, but manager Rob Thomson said that Sosa is expected to return to spring training action on Thursday. "He's fine, he told me he could have played, I would think for sure he's going to be in there tomorrow," Thomson said. The 27-year-old Panamanian hit .251/.293/.427 with a career-high 10 home runs, 30 RBI, four steals and 34 runs scored for the Phils in 104 regular-season games in 2023. Sosa has proven to be a below-average major-league hitter, but he can play second base, third base, and shortstop and isn't a terrible utility infielder to have around in real life.