Projected Phillies Opening Day lineup, rotation and roster: Taijuan Walker is at it again

For the most part, there isn't much for Philadelphia Phillies fans to watch out for in spring training. Sure, it's always fun to watch Bryce Harper swing the bat, but regardless of how well he plays, Phillies fans know he'll be at first base on Opening Day batting toward the top of the team's lineup. Regardless of how Zack Wheeler pitches, he'll be the team's Opening Day starter.

Spring training is a time, however, for Phillies fans to zero in on the performances of prospects and players fighting for roster spots. On the prospect front, Gabriel Rincones Jr. has really opened some eyes, hitting three home runs and driving in seven runs in 20 at-bats thus far. He won't begin the year on the team's roster, but he's certainly a player to keep tabs on, as his No. 10 organizational prospect ranking would suggest.

With those fighting for roster spots, Taijuan Walker, no matter how badly Phillies fans would love to find a reason to disagree, has looked good. Walker just got through his second straight solid start of the spring, allowing just one run on four hits against the Toronto Blue Jays over 3.1 innings of work. His stuff looks much better, which should give Phillies fans reason to be somewhat optimistic.

Based on how Walker has done in spring training, he's likely to begin the year on Philadelphia's Opening Day roster whether fans want that or not. He won't be in the rotation with Jesus Luzardo in town, but Walker pitching well will almost certainly guarantee him a spot in the bullpen, especially since the Phillies won't want to pay him $36 million over the next two seasons to pitch against them.

With Walker's roster status in mind, let's take a look at what the rest of the team's Opening Day roster might look like.

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Phillies Opening Day lineup

This Phillies lineup is, as usual, stacked, but has a new look. Instead of using Kyle Schwarber out of the leadoff spot, Rob Thomson has teased the idea of Trea Turner taking over that role. Schwarber makes sense as a leadoff hitter, considering his ability to draw a ton of walks and begin any given game with a home run, but Turner gets on base a good amount, has power, and offers a speed element that Schwarber does not. Schwarber hitting behind a star-studded trio of Turner, Bryce Harper, and Alec Bohm gives him a chance to drive in tons of runs with one big swing.

The middle of Philadelphia's order features the group's lone newcomer, Max Kepler, who should be the team's regular left fielder. Kepler is coming off a down year, but when healthy, gives the lineup yet another power threat.

This lineup from top to bottom is quite good. Perhaps a shuffling of the order can be what gets them going in October, which wasn't the case in 2024.

Phillies Opening Day rotation

I mean, does it get any better than this? All five of these projected starting pitchers are All-Star-caliber arms. No matter how the lineup does, this rotation should give the Phillies a chance to win just about every day.

The lone addition to this staff is Jesus Luzardo, a left-hander coming off a down year in which he battled injury, but he offers tremendous upside. Having him as a No. 5 starter is a luxury just about no other team can afford, and makes the Phillies that much tougher to face.

Phillies Opening Day bench

• Rafael Marchan (C)
• Edmundo Sosa (INF)
• Buddy Kennedy (INF/OF)
• Johan Rojas (OF)

This Phillies bench consists of two locks. Edmundo Sosa will be the backup infielder, and he should get plenty of playing time, particularly against left-handed pitching. There's a good chance he'll platoon with Bryson Stott at second base. Defensive wizard Johan Rojas is the other lock to make the team. Rojas should also see plenty of time, particularly late in games defensively, and in place of Brandon Marsh against lefties.

The other two spots are up for grabs. Rafael Marchan and Garrett Stubbs figure to be competing to be J.T. Realmuto's backup. Stubbs has more experience and is a fan favorite, but Marchan is out of options, giving him a potential leg up.

The final bench spot was likely Weston Wilson's to lose, but Wilson suffered an oblique injury, ending any chance he had at cracking the Opening Day roster. Philadelphia could choose to give that spot to Kody Clemens, especially since he's out of options, but with the team already being incredibly left-handed heavy, a right-handed bat like Buddy Kennedy might end up making more sense. It'd be unfortunate if the Phillies lose Clemens, but Kennedy is a much better roster fit.

Phillies Opening Day bullpen

• Jordan Romano
• Matt Strahm
• Orion Kerkering
• Jose Alvarado
• Jose Ruiz
• Tanner Banks
• Joe Ross
• Taijuan Walker

This Phillies bullpen looks different, and not in an ideal way. The team lost both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez in free agency and replaced them with Jordan Romano and Joe Ross. Hoffman and Estevez might've underwhelmed in October, but they are both All-Star-caliber closers. They were replaced with Romano coming off a brutal year in which he missed substantial time due to injury, and Joe Ross, who is more of a swingman than a leverage reliever.

With that being said, though, there is still a good amount to like in this bullpen. Romano, if (big if) healthy, is an All-Star closer. Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado, and Orion Kerkering are all high-end set-up options. The depth, though, feels a bit subpar.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of role Taijuan Walker can carve out for himself. He'll probably open the year as the team's long reliever and only pitch in games that are decided, but if he continues to look good when games count, perhaps he can be more impactful than anyone might've expected.