This is not the flashiest use of MLB rosters expand from 26 players to 28 players on Tuesday, but it may be the smartest one the Phillies can make. Don Mattingly expects the extra position player spot to go to a third catcher, and honestly, that feels less like a luxury than a sensible piece of roster housekeeping. Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchán are both out of options, the Phillies have already carried three catchers for stretches this season, and there is no obvious reason to create a waiver headache when the path of least resistance is sitting right in front of them.
That is the point here. This is not about chasing headlines or squeezing some extra novelty out of a roster expansion. It is about keeping useful players around without asking for trouble. Stubbs returned from left wrist inflammation on July 21, Marchán is on a rehab assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley after left knee patellar tendinitis, and the Phillies have every incentive to protect that catching depth rather than risk losing it for nothing.
Why the third catcher makes too much sense
Stubbs is not just a catcher in the strictest sense anyway. His versatility includes left field, first base, third base and pinch-running duties, which is exactly why Mattingly said, “[Stubbs] gives us a different dimension in that. A lot of times, in that role, you would bring a guy that steals a bag. We kind of got that guy. So positionally, what we do is kind of set.” That is a pretty clear clue about how the Phillies see this decision. They are not treating the extra spot as a toy. They are using it to keep a roster function intact.
There is also the practical reality that both Stubbs and Marchán are out of options. That matters. If the Phillies were to designate either one for assignment, they would be exposing a catcher they clearly value to waivers. For a team trying to stay organized through the final stretch, that is an unnecessary gamble. Keeping both around, then adding the third catcher once the roster expands, is the clean solution.
The rest of the roster picture only reinforces it
The catching issue has been sitting alongside other roster movement. Tanner Banks made his last major league appearance before the injury on July 8, then made his second rehab appearance for triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday and threw 1⅔ scoreless innings. He is not eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list until Sept. 7, and Mattingly made it clear the Phillies are being careful with that timeline. “I think for Banksy, it’s make sure we get him built properly, the fact he’s out for a long time,” he said. “We’ll see how long that takes, to see where it goes.”
That caution extends to the roster as a whole. The Phillies signed Nestor Cortes to a major league deal on Aug. 19, released Jean Cabrera on Friday, and continue to manage their depth with the sort of precision that usually tells you the front office and dugout know exactly what they want. In this case, it looks like they want catching insurance and roster flexibility above all else.
Stubbs may never be the headline name on a roster built around louder stars, but he can still be the right answer to the right problem. On Tuesday, when the roster expands to 28 players, the Phillies are expected to treat him that way. And given the alternatives, that is not conservative. It is just common sense.
