Philadelphia Phillies: As Team Heals, Roster Decisions Become Focal Point

The Philadelphia Phillies are a team built around pitching. We knew that the moment they signed Cliff Lee over the offseason and paired him up with the trio of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.

However, we also expected an offense that was injured for much of last season to rebound in a big way, and to date, that hasn’t exactly been the case.

While the majority of the lineup has been healthy, the results aren’t there in grand fashion. Who would have thought that heading into the month of May, Placido Polanco would have been the team’s best hitter?

As the beef of the team’s order continues to struggle, many wonder if there is help on the horizon, and the good news is, reinforcements may be on the way.

The Phils’ disabled list has become crowded. On the offensive side of the ball, the major blows were to Chase Utley and Domonic Brown. The team could take solace in knowing that the best staff in the game is going to keep them in the game, however, and they’ve been able to play to a well above average level, despite missing All-Star talent.

The amount of pitchers on the disabled list, however, has become a bit of a concern. Brad Lidge opened the season on the bench, and he was quickly joined by JC Romero, Jose Contreras and Joe Blanton.

Luckily for the Phils, they’ve had players that were able to step right in and contribute do just that. Of course, that creates a number of difficult roster decisions when the big boys are ready to return.

The closest return seems to be Romero, who pitched in a rehab game last night in Lakewood. He threw a scoreless inning for the Blue Claws on Tuesday and reported no pain in his strained calf. He threw all of his pitches, which was a good sign and should be ready for Major League action within the week.

Now the Phils’ have to make a decision about their roster. Right now, the team is carrying 11 pitchers, and with the way that Halladay, Lee and Hamels have gone about their business lately, that may be enough.

However, the obvious roster move is to send back up catcher Dane Sardinha back to AAA, making room for Romero as the 12th pitcher on the staff.

Of course, the Phillies are not going to option Sardinha back to the minors unless they are certain that Carlos Ruiz can at least be used off of the bench. He’s been sidelined with back problems over the last week or so, and sending Sardinha to AAA would leave Brian Schneider as the only completely healthy catcher on the staff.

While Charlie Manuel was hopeful that Ruiz could be ready for game action in this series against the Washington Nationals, the extent of his condition hasn’t been made completely apparent. If I had to guess, (and we all know that I’ve been completely wrong in the past), I’d say that Ruiz is healthy enough to allow the Phils’ to option Sardinha, making room for Romero.

One guy that doesn’t stand much of a chance here is Vance Worley. While he’s been great every time the Phillies have called on him, Joe Blanton is expected to return when his stint on the disabled list is finished.

While I’m all for keeping Worley around in the Major League bullpen, my baseball sense is overwhelming my brain by telling me that keeping him stretched out in AAA is the best thing for him. You have to wonder though, if Worley hurls another good game tonight, is he making it easier for the Phils’ to move Blanton?

That, however, was the easy part of the upcoming roster decisions. While these big league ball players like to take things one day at a time, I’m far too impatient for that. Let’s get a bit ahead of ourselves.

Because he offers no real information on the state of his rehab, it’s tough to determine exactly how close Utley is to a return to a Major League field. About a week ago, Ryan Lawerence of the Delco Times told me that a mid-May return was a possibility, and that coincided with a few reports from injury specialists around baseball.

Assuming that is the truth, Utley may be just two weeks away from a return to baseball. After playing in a couple of simulated games, the collective spirit of Phils’ fans is high. On the other hand, I’ll tell you who may not exactly be thrilled about Utley’s apparent return—one of two guys on the Phils’ bench, Pete Orr or Michael Martinez.

While Orr hasn’t exactly been awe inspiring with the stick, he has been productive. He’s appeared in 14 games for the Phils’, collecting 10 hits and scoring four runs while playing above average defense at second base.

While he played in the outfield during spring training, he doesn’t have the versatility that Martinez has, and could be in some trouble when Utley is ready to return, since he does have a minor league option.

But that doesn’t tell the entire story because if Charlie Manuel had his way, it would be Martinez who was the odd man out. The switch-hitter has appeared in 12 games for the Phils’, collecting just three hits and making most of his appearances as a late-inning pinch-runner or defensive replacement.

He’s scored just one run and hasn’t given the team much of a reason to keep him around, aside from his Rule 5 status, which may make it hard to let him go.

If the Phils had seen enough of him but wanted to keep him around, they’d either have to work out a trade with the Washington Nationals to send him to AAA or offer him back all together, and it’s highly unlikely that the Nats’ would give a division rival a player without something special in return.

So Utley’s return also creates a bit of a roster debate. Would the Phillies be better off keeping the veteran Pete Orr around, or the young Martinez, who has made an impression on the club but has yet to produce?

If I was a betting man (and I’m not because it’s bad for my health), I’d say that the Phils keep Orr. He’s been getting more starts lately, thanks in large part to Wilson Valdez’s own slump, but makes the most of his opportunities.

He’s the gritty, hard working player that we love here in Philadelphia, and at a glance, Martinez simply isn’t ready to help this team, despite his versatility.

Finally, let’s chalk up one more hypothetical return, since he could be ready for action right around the same time as Utley. Jose Contreras hit the disabled list a couple of weeks ago, and Ruben Amaro first reported that he would be out for roughly three to four weeks.

That puts a timeline for his return from around the mid to end of May. When the Phils placed Contreras on the DL, they called up Mike Stutes, who honestly has been too good to let go so far.

It’s a small sample size, but in 2.1 innings of work for the big league club thus far, Stutes hasn’t even allowed a hit. He’s faced a total of eight batters and just one wasn’t retired—he reached base via the walk.

That said, anyone who has seen Stutes pitch knows that this kid has potential. The coaches were infatuated with him during spring training, and I honestly thought he would get the call over David Herndon, who now with the emergence of Stutes, could be on his way out.

Herndon, of course, was the Phils Rule 5 selection from last season and after making it through the entire 2010 season on the big league roster, is property of the Phillies. However, I don’t know how to explain his performance this season other than he just hasn’t been good.

In 10.2 innings for the Phillies this season, Herndon has been tagged, surrendering 14 hits while facing just 49 batters. He’s walked seven and struck out just three, all the while allowing three home runs out of the bullpen.

As his ERA hovers around nine (and his FIP around eight), you have to wonder whether or not it will be Herndon who is sent packing when Contreras is ready to return, as opposed to Stutes, who has been rather impressive.

So while things seemed dark and dreary for the Phils once upon a time, the skyline is clearing. Once upon a time, we wondered whether Chase Utley would even step on the field this season. We questioned the bullpen as both Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras hit the DL and wondered whether or not Antonio Bastardo could handle being the go-to lefty.

But that is what is most fascinating about baseball. While those injuries creates a whole slew of questions in the past, the return of those exact same players give use something more to question.

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