The Philadelphia Phillies will soon have to decide who gets the final slot on their roster, and it will come down to one key factor.
The Philadelphia Phillies look awfully similar to last year heading into the 2026 MLB campaign, but manager Rob Thomson will still have some decisions to make.
Thomson will need to decide on his bullpen, and it seems probable that he will go with eight relief pitchers. He will also need to pick his final position player.
Edmundo Sosa, one of Rafael Marchan or Garrett Stubbs and Otto Kemp seem like locks to be on the bench to start the season. But that fourth and final bench slot remains up for grabs.
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia has identified Dylan Moore and outfielder Bryan De La Cruz as the top two contenders for that last spot, but he feels that Moore could have the inside track.
"If Kemp makes the club, the final spot could come down to Dylan Moore, a non-roster invitee who has significant major league time with Seattle and can play all over the diamond, and outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, who has swung a productive bat this spring," Salisbury wrote. "Moore might have the edge because he has the versatility manager Rob Thomson covets."
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Dylan Moore. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.Moore has played literally every position except catcher throughout his big-league career, which began with the Seattle Mariners in 2019. That definitely has value, and with De La Cruz strictly being an outfielder (and not a very good one), that could ultimately push Moore over the edge.
The 33-year-old is certainly not much of a hitter, as he slashed just .201/.267/.374 with 11 home runs and 25 RBI over 243 plate appearances between the Mariners and the Texas Rangers in 2025. He also owns a lifetime .693 OPS.
However, positional versatility is significant when it comes to choosing your bench players, which is what makes Moore so intriguing. Plus, while De La Cruz definitely has more pop, it's not like he is an offensive dynamo, either, laying claim to a .698 OPS.
In fact, De La Cruz only had 50 plate appearances with the Atlanta Braves in 2025, slashing a meager .191/.240/.213.
Of course, the Phillies' bench could change throughout the year with trade additions and minor-league callups, but for now, it seems like Moore is the best way to go for the ballclub.
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