3 postseason roster mistakes the Phillies can’t afford — and why they’ll backfire

While their NL East rivals battle it out in the Wild Card Round, the Philadelphia Phillies are enjoying a week of rest back home, waiting to see who their opponent will be in the NLDS. (Philly is set to face the winner of the Brewers-Mets best-of-three.) The Phils ran away with the NL East in the second half of the season, and with depth in the rotation, flamethrowers in the bullpen and a star-studded lineup, this team looks set to erase the memory of last year's NLCS collapse against the D-backs.

With so many big names to work with, manager Rob Thomson doesn't have too many difficult decisions to make when it comes to setting his roster for the Divisional Round. But this organization knows all too well how much the margins matter come October, and there are still a few areas where the Phillies brain trust needs to make sure they get it right — or potentially face an early exit.

3 mistakes the Phillies must avoid with NLDS roster

Including Austin Hays

It feels like now is the time to admit that this trade is a sunk cost. Hays has struggled at the plate as a Phillie, with just a .672 OPS since being acquired on July 26. Even more concerningly, though, he's also struggled to stay healthy, returning from a second stint on the Injured List just last week. All Thomson would say about the status of Hays' balky balk is that the outfield could "play to tolerance" — hardly a ringing endorsement with the playoffs around the corner.

Hays didn't inspire confidence even before the back issue, and he certainly doesn't now, especially with just 11 at-bats against big-league pitching under his belt over the last month. Weston Wilson has shown the ability to hit lefties well, which would be Hays' primary function on this roster anyway. Why take the risk?

Including Taijuan Walker

Eleven of the 12 pitching spots Thomson wants to fill on the NLDS roster are locked up. The final one, though, could bring some consternation for Phillies fans: The team will want a bullpen option who can go multiple innings if need be, and while Walker has been a disaster of late, he does bring plenty of experience. Still, Philly would be wise to look elsewhere, either to the returning Spencer Turnbull or even 25-year-old rookie Max Lazar. Either choice would bring a lot more upside in the event that something goes haywire and the Phillies need someone to keep them competitive through the middle innings.

Leaving Cal Stevenson off

In a best-of-five series, the reality is that bench bats will only get one or two plate appearances at most — especially given how strong the Phillies' everyday lineup is. Bringing all of Hays, Wilson and Kody Clemens feels like overkill. With Nick Castellanos a liability in right field, saving a spot for Stevenson would give Thomson a real defensive weapon to deploy whenever there's a late-inning lead that needs to be protected. Johan Rojas and Brandon Marsh cover a lot of ground on their own, but you can never have too much defense, and locking down the outfield grass figures to have a far greater impact on the outcome of a series than a potential pinch-hitting opportunity.