With a handful of moves made in the past week, the Phillies’ Opening Day roster is effectively set. But that doesn’t mean the team is done making moves or that things can’t change from now until Thursday afternoon. Since we last compiled a list of transactions, the team made three additional moves that affect the franchise at all levels.
Just a few days after the Detroit Tigers released him from their Spring Training roster, infielder Alexi Amarista signed a minor league deal with the Phillies. The 28-year-old picked up just eight hits in 42 at bats this spring with the Tigers. The utility infielder has spent parts of seven seasons in the Major League, most notably spending five seasons with the San Diego Padres. Last season, Amarista appeared in 96 games with the Colorado Rockies, where he hit .238 with 19 RBIs. Amarista was the 27th player in Detroit, but was given his release days before Opening Day. Amarista will report to minor league camp.
The Phillies career, at least for the mean time, of catcher Cameron Rupp, is now officially over. Rupp was released by the team today after being designated for assignment a few days ago. Rupp hit .217 last season in 88 games. He lost his backup role to Andrew Knapp as the season progressed, and he became expandable this season.I am surprised, however, that Rupp did not accept an outright to Lehigh Valley, but he will now have an opportunity to latch on with any team in the league.
Finally, the Phillies will be without one of their key free agent signings to begin the year. It was announced today that Tommy Hunter will begin the season on the disabled list with a hamstring strain. Hunter was signed this offseason to a two-year, $19 million deal to pitch in the back end of the bullpen with Hector Neris and Pat Neshek. Hunter is coming off a productive season with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he went 3-5 with a 2.61 ERA in 61 games. He walked just 14 hitters in 58.2 innings pitched. The injury is considered mild, and Hunter likely won’t miss much time. In his absence, I’d expect Edubray Ramos to break camp with the big league club.
While things aren’t entirely set yet, the roster appears to have taken shape for Opening Day. If anything changes, we’ll keep you updated, but here is an approximate 25-man roster for Thursday.
Catchers (2): Jorge Alfaro, Andrew Knapp
Infielders (5): Carlos Santana, Caesar Hernandez, J.P. Crawford, Maikel Franco, Scott Kingery
Outfielders (5): Rhys Hoskins, Odubel Herrera, Aaron Altherr, Nick Williams, Pedro Florimon
Starting Pitchers (5): Aaron Nola, Jake Arrieta (if not placed on DL), Nick Pivetta, Vince Velasquez, Ben Lively
Relief Pitchers (7): Hector Neris, Pat Neshek, Luis Garcia, Edubray Ramos, Drew Hutchinson, Hoby Milner, Adam Morgan, Victor Arano, Jake Thompson (If Arrieta is placed on DL)
Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
