The Philadelphia Phillies should have done a better job addressing this.
The Philadelphia Phillies' first series of the 2026 MLB campaign was not exactly pretty, as they lost two out of three to the Texas Rangers.
The bats went cold for much of the weekend, as the Phillies were no-hit for the first 4.2 innings of Saturday's game and then went without a hit for the first five frames on Sunday. The bullpen didn't look the best, either.
But perhaps the most glaring problem for Philadelphia was its outfield play.
The Phillies skimped on the outfield during the offseason, signing Adolis Garcia to a one-year deal to man right field and then deciding to put rookie Justin Crawford in center while rolling with a Brandon Marsh-Otto Kemp platoon in left.
Needless to say, things did not go according to plan for Philadelphia against the Rangers. Garcia — typically a strong defender — lost a ball in the sun, and Kemp looked completely lost.
In fact, Matt Gelb of The Athletic highlighted Kemp's performance as something to monitor moving forward.
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Otto Kemp. Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images."The play in left field on Sunday was more concerning," Gelb wrote. "Otto Kemp misplayed two balls that went off the wall and almost overran another that he caught with his outstretched glove over his head. Kemp is an infielder who is playing the outfield because the Phillies want him to be Marsh’s platoon partner."
Gelb called the situation a "work in progress, to be kind" and then wondered if Kemp could potentially lose his job to Bryan De La Cruz.
"Kemp will be back in left field Monday night against the Washington Nationals. This is something to monitor, especially if Bryan De La Cruz hits at Triple A," Gelb added.
Kemp slashed .234/.298/.411 with eight home runs and 28 RBI over 218 plate appearances during his first big-league campaign last year, so it's also not like his bat is so valuable that Philadelphia will want to keep him on the roster no matter what.
De La Cruz is certainly not known for his defense, but he has a bit more pop than Kemp and could ultimately replace him if Kemp doesn't get things right defensively. Kemp did spend 11 games in left field last season, but he is clearly not entirely accustomed to the position.
Had the Phillies more properly addressed their outfield over the winter like fans had wanted, they wouldn't be in this predicament right now.
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