The Philadelphia Phillies have officially announced the players who will be added to their roster to expand to 28 players from 26.
One addition is an activation from the injured list. Catcher Rafael Marchan has completed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and has been reinstated from the 10-day IL. He will be joined on the Big League roster by right-handed pitcher Grant Holman , who will wear No. 51.
Those are moves that will certainly leave fans confused. When it comes to Marchan, it is fair to wonder what the benefit is of carrying a third catcher. J.T. Realmuto is locked in as the starter, and the team still has Garrett Stubbs on the roster.
A third catcher doesn't help interim manager Don Mattingly too much when it comes to late-game decision-making. Stubbs has made appearances at other positions on the field and as a mop-up duty pitcher, but will be spending most nights glued to the bench with Marchan back in the mix.
Feb 18, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Grant Holman (92) poses for a photo for MLB media day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Another versatile position player would have made some sense to add to the mix. The Phillies failed to add a right-handed-hitting outfielder ahead of the MLB trade deadline, so someone such as Otto Kemp could have filled that depth spot on the bench.
Philadelphia did trade a veteran outfielder ahead of the Sept. 1 deadline. Tommy Pham , who signed a minor league deal with the team in June, was traded to the Chicago White Sox , where he was going to be added as part of their roster expansion to 28 players. Could he have originally been part of the team's plans before the trade was completed?
Holman has not yet appeared in a Major League game this season, so jumping some of the other players on the Lehigh Valley pitching staff is certainly a surprise.
Kyle Backhus , Alan Rangel and Brian Keller all would have been logical choices, hurlers who have spent time with the Phillies in 2026. Instead, it was Holman, who has a 4.66 career ERA across 40 appearances in 2024 and 2025 with the Athletics on his resume.
What is going to disappoint fans the most about the Holman call-up is that it isn't Gage Wood . The 2025 first-round pick is someone that many people would love to see take the mound in Philadelphia during the stretch run of the season.
The franchise has been adamant about keeping him on track as a starting pitcher, but he does have experience coming out of the bullpen with the Arkansas Razorbacks in college. Maybe things will change once the minor league season is completed.
The Phillies did have hesitancy about bringing up another top prospect, Alex McFarlane , to the bullpen. Seeing how things have turned out with him, maybe they will soften their stance on Wood.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/phillies/onsi as Phillies Make Head-Scratching Adds Expanding Roster to 28 .
