Phillies: 3 players who won’t be on the roster by September 1

The Phillies desperately need a few of their biggest contributors to return from the injured list if they want to seriously contend down the stretch.

The Philadelphia Phillies may not have the best chance to win the NL East, thanks to the star-studded Atlanta Braves, but they currently have firm control of the NL Wild Card. But with the star talent like there is in Philadelphia, the front office, fan base and players aren’t accepting just making the playoffs as a successful season.

Philadelphia is the type of team and fanbase that can, and expects to, win the World Series. To do so, they need to put together the best roster possible.

Phillies rumors: Jake Cave could be optioned when Brandon Marsh returns

The Phillies lineup features some very talented players with a few of their struggling players beginning to come around. Trea Turner has seen his season begin to turn around following unwavering support from the Philadelphia faithful. But their lineup could still use some reinforcements, especially after Brandon Marsh landed on the IL recently. His return will absolutely boot one of the outfielders out of the lineup and potentially off the team as a whole.

Jake Cave comes in as the player that’ll likely find himself on the chopping block when Marsh returns. Marsh will be slotting in for Cave, where Cave has begun playing since Marsh went down. To this point, Cave hasn’t done much to make him an everyday player. He holds a .218/.266/.337 slash line and is striking out nearly 30% of the time.

The 30-year-old hasn’t given the Phillies any reason to keep him on the roster and he has an option on his contract that’ll allow him to be moved to Triple-A rather than designated for assignment. This flexibility gives the team more incentive to move him without having to lose him for good. This move makes sense a ton of sense for the Phillies.