97.5 The Fanatic Phillies Notebook: Unexpectedly Polarizing Johan Rojas

Will two straight series victories cool the temperature in the City of Brotherly Love? Probably not.

Fans of the Philadelphia Phillies demand excellence from a World Series contender. Johan Rojas and Trea Turner fell short of that standard in one of the ugliest wins Citizens Bank Park has ever seen on Tuesday.

The Phillies also let the inferior Washington Nationals sneak away with a win in the series finale. However, the tension lightened in an overall positive week following a brutal sweep at the hands of the New York Mets.

The Phillies entered spring training planning to use Max Kepler as an everyday left fielder and Brandon Marsh as an everyday center fielder. Both lefties had platooned throughout long stretches of their major league careers, but righty Johan Rojas still wasn’t a roster lock as a bench player and spot starter when he reported to Clearwater.

He earned a spot with the expectation he’d provide a good glove in limited action even if his offensive production didn’t improve after an underwhelming season in 2024.

The first month of the 2025 season couldn’t have unfolded any differently in the outfield. Rojas started his 13th consecutive game in the series finale against the Nationals.

An unexpected offensive hot streak, a .305 batting average, and frequent defensive and baserunning miscues have forced Phillies fans to scratch their heads.

A player who racked up an astronomical 15 defensive runs saved in 59 games in 2023 has suddenly become a liability in center field. Rojas lacks the heads-up awareness that a primarily defensive-minded player needs to sustain an MLB career.

Rojas failed to take charge during Edmundo Sosa’s first career outfield start on April 8. The young center fielder let a routine ball fall to the ground after a miscommunication.

A bizarre throwing error eight days later raised more concerns about his baseball sense. He also called off Nick Castellanos on a seemingly routine play in the series finale at Wrigley Field that ultimately landed for a cheap bloop base hit. 

Thomson spoke about the 24-year-old’s defensive slump after Rojas made two more egregious mistakes in the series opener against Washington.

Reexamine the DRS metric from 2023. Advanced stats experts consistently warn against evaluating smaller statistical sample sizes of games. When Rojas played 120 games in 2024, he finished with only 4 DRS.

The metrics credited him for excellent range in 2023, but most of his positive value actually came from his arm in 2024. 

He similarly brought up questions about his long-term defensive value with sloppy awareness in center early in the 2024 season.

A player who earned an MLB roster spot based on his glove isn’t showing off a good glove, so the Phillies should demote him to Triple A, right?

Johan Rojas has stunningly put together the best offensive streak of his major league career early in 2025.

He’s 13/41 with an .812 OPS in 13 games since Marsh suffered a hamstring injury on April 16.

Rojas sent a MacKenzie Gore changeup 421 feet to left center against the Nationals for his first home run of the year. He followed it up with two more hits in the second game of the series and hard contact in all four of his at-bats. 

If he’s clearly outhit Marsh, who’s hitting .095 this season, shouldn’t he remain in the lineup for his offense? That question is also more complicated.

Rojas grounded into a double play in the eighth inning on Sunday Night Baseball in what looked like a devastating momentum killer. He also failed to lay down a suitable bunt in the tenth inning that would align more with the small ball approach Thomson has asked of him most of his MLB career.

The 2-4 night on Wednesday against Washington also came with a caveat. He saw only five pitches in four at-bats while hitting ninth in a lineup full of established sluggers who could benefit from a grinder. He took an unnecessary risk in the ninth inning of the series finale by recklessly stretching a double into a triple with no incentive for a team trailing by two runs in need of hits behind him.

Will the offensive surge continue? He spent the offseason in the Dominican Winter League – which features pitching quality somewhere between Double A and Triple A – but it’s hard to sustain such an unexpected hot streak. His season OPS is 171 points higher this season than his dismal .601 in 2024 after the remedial work.

Johan Rojas is the most perplexing player on the Phillies, and he’s somehow their best immediate option in center field.

If he wants to stay with the big club, he’ll focus on doing the little things right to impress a manager who will have a tough decision after Marsh returns and when the offensive hot streak eventually slows down.

While a struggling bullpen has crushed the Phillies early in 2025, the overall strength of the pitching staff could help enact a ripple effect to correct the problems internally.

Ranger Suarez will make his season debut after an unusual rehab stint. The Phillies moved along his timeline to return from an IL stint slowly for the second straight season, but the Venezuelan fan favorite will add depth to one of the strongest rotations in baseball.

How will the staff adjust? Will the Phillies keep Taijuan Walker and extend to a six-man starting rotation? Rob Thomson acknowledged the possibility but pointed out a potential downside of the decision leaving the Phillies one arm short in the bullpen.

A six-man rotation would also spread out starts for staff ace Zack Wheeler, who prefers to pitch on regular rest.

However it shakes out, Thomson confirmed that Walker has earned a right to stay on the big club. The embattled veteran started six games and posted a 2.54 ERA while Suarez ramped up for MLB action.

If Walker ultimately moves to the bullpen, the door is wide open for a right-hander to step into a high-leverage role.

Dave Dombrowski’s offseason moves have left the Phillies with roster holes, but criticism of the early-season weaknesses don’t always account for a dynamite start from Jesus Luzardo.

The former Marlins lefty has allowed only seven earned runs in six starts since the December trade. Although he didn't patch a position of weakness, the solidified staff with Luzardo, Suarez, Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sanchez creates better overall depth and resulting pitching flexibility.

Suarez might eventually move to the bullpen if a relief role brought more value to the Phillies, especially if Andrew Painter joins the rotation midsummer.

Dombrowski could also trade the impending free agent for bullpen help before the MLB Trade Deadline on July 31.

A surplus of starters during the regular season increases the likelihood that any pitcher wearing red pinstripes will record an out in October, however it might happen. 

Dave Roberts led the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series last October mixing and matching relievers in opener roles, starters in long relief roles, and everything in between. Walker Buehler recorded the final out in relief after an injury-plagued season in and out of the rotation.

The Phillies would most likely designate Carlos Hernandez for assignment to clear room for Ranger Suarez. Tanner Banks and Orion Kerkering are the only relievers on the staff with minor league options remaining, and neither is likely to leave the major league roster.

J.T. Realmuto watched a called third strike well outside the ABS strike zone against the San Francisco Giants on April 14. The key moment in the seventh inning of a winnable game enhanced the tense mood at Citizens Bank Park in a game the Phillies ultimately lost.

Rob Thomson remained in the dugout instead of arguing with home plate umpire Tony Randazzo. The mild-mannered Phillies skipper wouldn’t show any signs of panic so early in the season.

Thomson entered the season with a new contract extension running through 2026. He’s won five playoff series in three seasons as an MLB manager.

However, the pressure to deliver a championship is mounting. Bob Nightengale told 97.5 The Fanatic in December that the Phillies might’ve pursued Alex Cora to replace Thomson if the Boston Red Sox hadn’t given Cora a contract extension.

Dombrowski believes the Phillies can extend their window of World Series contention past 2025, but significant roster turnover could be looming.

What edge does Rob Thomson give the Phillies in 2025? Stability.

Larry Bowa believes Thomson has handled a lineup of Phillies star players smoothly. Maintaining a close-knit unit becomes more difficult when stars develop in other organizations and sign lucrative contracts with major market teams.

The role of an MLB manager has also changed drastically in recent seasons. The colorful tirades of Lou Piniella or Jim Leyland rarely spark players anymore. 

Thomson has instead maintained stability with Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner. All six joined the Phillies with impressive prior major league track records. They command respect from a manager, and Thomson’s predecessor Joe Girardi struggled to build the right type of relationships with some of them.

Thomson has complimented his team’s gritty style to come from behind with late-inning rallies this season.

The Phillies mirrored his lack of panic after a brutal 4-0 loss at Wrigley Field on Friday. They scraped out a big inning the next day with singles, stolen bases, and small ball in six-run fourth that allowed everyone in the dugout to breathe a sigh of relief during a five-game losing streak.

Harper didn’t dwell on losing a home run to the notorious Chicago winds in the first game. He stepped into the box in the second game of the series and finally belted an extra-base hit to give the Phillies a 6-0 lead they never surrendered.

The Phillies entered the season after offensive slumps spoiled three consecutive playoff runs. Thomson and hitting coach Kevin Long have encouraged hitters to use all fields and limit their chase rate, which ranked 25th in the majors last season. Their intent to tweak their collective hitting approach was never going to materialize in April.

Thomson has shown the necessary patience for his big hitters to start producing with numbers closer to the ones of the back of the baseball card.

His patience with the underwhelming offense that sits 17th in the majors in slugging percentage aligns with the characteristics he’s shown throughout his managing career.

Thomson keeps his confidence when players inevitably fall into slumps. An unlikely series win against the Cubs substantiated the benefit of the manager’s patience and the stability it’s provided for a veteran clubhouse.

The 61-year-old baseball lifer made questionable decisions in the series finale on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. He sent a pinch runner for Kyle Schwarber at first base with two outs in the ninth inning. The decision took arguably his best slugger out of the game with a high likelihood of extra innings on the table.

Sending Johan Rojas to bunt with a man on first base in the 10th inning also drove some Phillies fans crazy.

The pressure of high expectations is mounting at Citizens Bank Park, and the critics will meet even the small decisions from the manager with scrutiny. Thomson must respond with the team’s long-term future pending, and he’s doing it the only way he knows how.

Will his patient approach to play the long game pay off for a lineup of veteran sluggers whose success or failure (or absence?) in Red October is all that anyone will remember?

The Phillies will host the hard-hitting Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park in a rematch of the 2023 National League Championship Series. Plan accordingly for the Broad Street Run to flood the South Philadelphia Sports Complex before the Sunday series finale.

All numbers as of the end of play on May 1. All advanced stats courtesy of StatCast, Baseball Reference, and FanGraphs.