The Phillies’ outfield enters the winter with more uncertainty than any other position group.
In 2025, the results simply weren’t there. Phillies outfielders combined for a .712 OPS (18th in MLB), a 7.8% walk rate (22nd), and 219 RBIs (24th). They stole 29 bases, tied for the fourth-fewest in baseball. The group struggled to generate impact at the plate and rarely changed games with speed.
The front office is expected to explore ways to add power, inject more athleticism and balance a lineup that leaned too heavily on its top-three hitters.
As of right now, who will return in 2026?
LF/CF Brandon Marsh
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Marsh was the most stable everyday outfielder the Phillies had.
He hit .280/.342/.443 with a .785 OPS, bouncing between left and center while offering better-than-average defense at both spots. He was at his best against right-handed pitching, where he hit .300 with a .838 OPS, nine home runs and 33 RBIs.
Marsh isn’t going anywhere. His role may shift depending on what else changes around him, but his roster spot is secure.
RF Nick Castellanos
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Castellanos struggled in 2025.
He drove in 72 runs, but his .694 OPS and .294 on-base percentage led to an 88 OPS+, which is 12 percent lower than the average hitter. The defensive limitations became more pronounced, finishing in the 1st percentile in Outs Above Average, reflecting limited range at 33 years old.
With one year left on his five-year, $100 million contract, Castellanos is expected to remain in trade conversations throughout the offseason and there’s a chance he gets designated for assignment.
UTIL/LF Otto Kemp
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Kemp’s season played out in two chapters.
Called up in early June, the rookie hit .228 over his first 46 games before returning to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. When he came back in September, the adjustments showed. Over his final 16 games, he posted an .856 OPS with eight extra-base hits.
Phillies skipper Thomson sees real upside, saying, “I like him being an everyday player.”
An infielder by trade, Kemp got some run in left field — including a start in the NLDS — and showed his effectiveness against left-handed pitching, producing a .786 OPS in 74 at-bats. That platoon potential could pair with Marsh, though Alec Bohm’s future at third base could ultimately influence Kemp’s role.
CF Johan Rojas
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Rojas remains one of the easiest players on the roster to summarize.
His defense changes games and the speed is elite — 99th percentile sprint speed. The offense is still lacking. He hit .224/.280/.289 in 2025 and never established consistent timing at the plate.
His glove and range keep him in the picture as a likely candidate to make the roster, but his path to everyday at-bats will depend on how he fares offensively.
A pair of prospects on the horizon?
Justin Crawford
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Crawford keeps hitting, everywhere.
He’s not a power hitter, but he controls at-bats, reaches base and pressures defenses with his legs. Few hitters in the organization offer that combination. If anyone can force an Opening Day outfield job internally, it’s Crawford.
At Triple-A in 2025, he hit .334 with a .411 OBP and stole 46 bases. Since entering pro ball, he owns a .322 average across 325 minor league games.
He can also hit to all fields. Per Prospect Savant, Crawford pulled the ball 29.2 percent of the time and went the other way 36.5 percent. That approach plays in the big leagues.
Gabriel Rincones Jr.
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Rincones provides the power counterpoint to Crawford.
At Triple-A, he hit a career-high 18 home runs, logged 41 extra-base hits, and drew 80 walks, finishing with a .370 OBP in his most complete pro season.
President Dave Dombrowski pointed out the 24-year-old as a prospect to keep an eye on, “I really like Gabriel Rincones, who’s got a lot of pop in his bat and really hits right-handed pitching even better.”
A left-handed bat with power and patience will draw trade interest by default. Whether he fits the 2026 Phillies or becomes part of a larger transaction will depend on how aggressively the club looks to reshape the outfield.
An idea
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Last summer, when the Phillies were exploring third-base help and checked in on Eugenio Suárez, one scenario gained traction: Bryce Harper moving back to right field.
It never happened — Harper stayed at first — but with Pete Alonso on the free-agent market and Houston’s Christian Walker potentially available via trade, the idea could surface again if the Phillies want more lineup balance during this championship window.
Targets via trade or free agency
Harrison Bader remains a logical reunion candidate. Max Kepler, also a free agent, is unlikely to return. And the thought of external options comes to mind.
Steven Kwan — a four-time Gold Glove award winner and a two-time All-Star — would give the Phillies an established leadoff hitter and elite left field defense. But after hitting .272 with a .705 OPS in 2025 — down from .292 and .793 in 2024 — and with club control through 2028, the cost would be significant. If Philadelphia believes Crawford can supply similar contact skills, the fit may be less necessary than it once looked.
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The White Sox exercised Luis Robert Jr.’s $20 million option, but given where that organization is right now, he could still be a trade candidate. Injuries limited him in 2025, but in the final six weeks he hit .298/.352/.456 in 31 games — closer to the version that finished second in AL MVP voting in 2023.
A winter trade feels unlikely, but if Chicago leans into a reset, he fits better as a mid-season or deadline move than a November one.
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Philadelphia has also been linked to Jo Adell and Taylor Ward, two right-handed power bats. Randy Arozarena could fit that same mold if Seattle is open to moving him.
At the top of the free agent market, talented outfielders Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham all hit from the left side. If the Phillies bring back Kyle Schwarber, committing premium dollars to another left-handed hitter may limit the lineup’s flexibility.
The outlook
The Phillies don’t have a set outfield for 2026.
Some answers could come from within. Others will likely require a trade or a meaningful free agent addition. However it unfolds, the 2026 outfield is unlikely to look — or perform — like the 2025 version.
