The Philadelphia Phillies may already know who will earn the final roster spot heading into the 2026 regular season.
In terms of position players, the Philadelphia Phillies pretty much know who will be making the cut for the Opening Day roster.
However, the Phillies do have one final roster spot to fill.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic has noted that Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp and a backup catcher (either Rafael Marchan or Garrett Stubbs) will occupy important bench roles, but what about the 13th position player?
Well, manager Rob Thomson explained what he is looking for this week.
"For me, it’s probably a utility guy," Thomson said. "A super-utility guy. Whether it’s right-handed or left-handed, we’ll have to see as we get closer to the end. … We’ve got a couple of those guys running around, so we’ve got some options. We’re going to have some really tough decisions at the end — not just with our bullpen, but also on the bench, too."
Gelb then revealed that it will probably be Dylan Moore, a do-it-all utility man who signed a minor-league deal with Philadelphia earlier this month.
"He’s come off a little bit of a down year last year, so we’re hoping that there’s some stuff we can do to help him out," Thomson said of Moore.
Dylan Moore. Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images.Moore played for both the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers last season, slashing .201/.267/.374 with 11 home runs and 25 RBI over 243 plate appearances.
The 33-year-old played every infield position as well as some outfield in 2025, so you can play him all over the diamond. Moore also won a Gold Glove as recently as 2024.
Obviously, Moore's bat leaves quite a bit to be desired, with the veteran owning a lifetime .206/.310/.383 slash line. But the Phillies are looking for versatility, and Moore definitely provides that.
"Because Moore finished last season in the majors, has six years of service time, and is signed to a minor-league deal, he is entitled to certain rights as an Article XX(B) free agent," Gelb added. "The Phillies must decide five days before Opening Day whether to add Moore to their 26-man roster."
Should Moore make the big-league roster, he would earn $1.85 million in 2026. We'll see if he ends up being the final man selected.
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