Philadelphia Phillies DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (illness) was unable to play on Wednesday due to an illness. The 33-year-old has not been in the lineup since Sunday. Fantasy managers should monitor his status as the Phillies may continue to keep him sidelined for the time being. When healthy, he is expected to be their everyday right fielder. Last season, the 33-year-old held a .254/.311/.431 slash line with 30 doubles and 23 home runs. He tallied 86 RBI with 80 runs. He generated an elite .271 xBA with a 39.0 percent launch angle sweet spot rate, which suggests he should see some positive regression during the 2025 campaign. During the 2023 campaign, he held a .272/.311/.476 line. Fantasy managers should view Castellanos as a reliable No.3/No.4 outfielder who should provide a high floor of counting stats batting in a potent Philadelphia lineup.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (back) threw a live batting practice session in camp on Tuesday, and manager Matt Quatraro said it went "really well." As a result, Estevez is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut on Friday against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels. The 32-year-old veteran has been battling lower-back tightness in spring training but appears to have put it past him as he tries to get ready for Opening Day in his first year with the Royals. He is running out of time to ramp up with only two weeks until the start of the 2025 regular season, but as long as Estevez doesn't have a setback with his back as he gets into games, he should be able to avoid starting the year on the injured list. Because of his (82 career saves in eight MLB seasons) and his strong year in 2024, he should be the favorite to close for the Royals, although Lucas Erceg could have something to say about that.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Matt Strahm (shoulder) is dealing with soreness in his shoulder. He has not taken the mound since Wednesday and his velocity was slightly down. The southpaw went for testing, the results came back clean. Manager Rob Thompson noted that there is "nothing wrong" and the team will give him a few days off. Last season, the 33-year-old was one of the top pieces in the Philadelphia bullpen. He tallied 18 holds and three saves operating as both an option in the eighth and ninth innings. Across 62 2/3 innings, the 33-year-old posted a 1.87 ERA with a 0.75 WHIP with 79 punchouts. Strahm generated a stellar 2.43 xERA (99th percentile) and a .188 xBA (96th percentile). When healthy, he will return to a high-leverage role, likely operating as the setup man for Jordan Romano.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (back) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session in camp on Tuesday and then will hopefully be able to make his Cactus League debut next Friday, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers. Estevez has slowly been ramping up in spring training due to lower-back tightness, but if he doesn't suffer any setbacks from here on out, the 32-year-old veteran could be ready for Opening Day in late March. At the very least, Estevez should be competing for saves with the Royals in his first year in KC with right-hander Lucas Erceg. The Dominican pitcher was solid in 2024 with a 2.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 26 saves, 50 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 55 innings with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. Estevez is more of a No. 2 closer in fantasy because of the fact he's not a lock for full-time closing duties, but he does have 82 career saves in eight big-league seasons.

The Philadelphia Phillies optioned right-handed pitcher Max Lazar to Triple-A on Saturday. Lazar was competing for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen but will begin his season at the Triple-A level instead. Last season, the 25-year-old made his MLB debut and held a 4.61 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP. He tallied punchouts at a low 16.7 percent but showed elite command as he held a 3.7 percent walk rate. He also generated a strong 4.7 percent barrel rate. With Triple-A Lehigh Valley last summer, Lazar posted a strong 2.45 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP. He also showed strong command at this level, as he allowed just 10 walks across 33 innings of work. Fantasy managers in deeper formats should continue to monitor his status at Triple-A as he will likely return to the majors when the Phillies need additional depth in their bullpen.