Johan Rojas "pretty consistent" with swing as spring training nears end. Will he be Phillies' Opening Day CF?
CLEARWATER, Fla. (CBS) - The Philadelphia Phillies are less than a week away from Opening Day as crucial roster decisions will need to be made for the 26-man roster. Of course, the battle for who gets the starting center field job is still Johan Rojas' to lose.
Rojas had an RBI single in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at BayCare BallPark that gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead in a four-run bottom of the sixth inning. With the second baseman shifting in closer to second to prevent a hit up the middle, Rojas smacked a fastball from Rays pitcher Jason Adam and hit through the shift to score J.T. Realmuto.
Rojas finished 1-for-3, up to .167 this spring. That's not what the Phillies, nor manager Rob Thomson, are concerned about.
"It was just a good swing," Thomson said after the game. "The lower half was connected to the entire swing and that's what he's been doing. He's getting pretty consistent with it and he's making some hard contact. He's another guy that's starting to make pretty good decisions at the plate."
Rojas has struck out just eight times in 48 at-bats, or 16.7% of the time, a massive dip from 28.2% last regular season and 34.9% last postseason.
Thomson "happy" with Sanchez in spring training
Cristopher Sanchez started Thursday's game, his first on a regular schedule since missing 17 games with an illness - his first start back was March 15.
Sanchez gave up three runs and six hits in three innings, striking out two and walking one. He also gave up a home run to Yandy Diaz to left-center field on the sixth pitch of the game, but his velocity on his sinker was reaching 95 mph on several occasions.
"I'm happy where he's at with the spring that he's had," Thomson said. "He's getting a little bit stronger and the velocity has gone up. He's really shown great command and most of his bullpens and BP outings. Today, it was just a little bit off. Up until today, he's maintained his command with added velocity."
Thomson mentioned Sanchez's command wasn't as sharp on his changeup, the pitch that earned him a spot in the Phillies rotation to begin with.
Sanchez will pitch one more time before joining the rotation, but the Phillies haven't determined whether that will be in Florida or when the team heads back to Philadelphia. The Phillies wouldn't have Sanchez's turn to pitch in the rotation until April 2, 11 days from now (based on their schedule).
Clemens has big day vs. Rays
Kody Clemens finished 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs on the afternoon. Clemens had the Phillies' lone hit in the first five innings, connecting on a fastball by Rays pitcher Ryan Pepiot to left field to get the Phillies on the board.
Clemens upped his average to .382 and his OPS to 1.244 this spring, to go along with his 10 RBIs. The Phillies still need a left-handed bat off the bench to fill a roster spot and Clemens remains in the mix along with Jake Cave and David Dahl.
"He's had a really good camp," Thompson said. "We're still working through it, but he's a baseball player. He can play almost anywhere on the infield. He can go out in the outfield and hold down the position for a day or two. His at-bats have been great. He uses the field, his strike zone awareness has been excellent, his decision-making is excellent. He's a baseball player."
Injury notes
The Phillies will be cautious with Orion Kerkering, as Thomson admitted they won't take any chances with him in regards to rushing him back into game shape. Kerkering hasn't pitched since March 1 due to the illness that's gone around the clubhouse throughout the spring.
Bryce Harper will take at-bats on the minor league side, whenever the Phillies play next. Impending rain in the forecast could push that back a day, but then Harper will return to major league camp for the end of spring training.
Rafael Marchan (knee), Dylan Covey (shoulder) and Michael Rucker (finger) are expected to start the season on the major league injured list.