For March¨¢n, making Opening Day roster a long time coming
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NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Even though Rafael Marchan¡¯s chances of making his first MLB team out of camp were all but written in stone heading into spring, it still felt good to get the official word on Thursday morning.
¡°I¡¯m just happy,¡± said March¨¢n, who will be J.T. Realmuto¡¯s backup at catcher this season after the Phillies optioned Garrett Stubbs to Triple-A Lehigh Valley before their 7-0 loss to the Braves at CoolToday Park. ¡±I¡¯ve been waiting for this for so long. I¡¯ve been with this team for a while, and it makes me feel like I¡¯m doing a good job to be part of this group.¡±
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Philadelphia signed March¨¢n to a Minor League contract in July 2015, and he has appeared in 40 career games with the big league club across three seasons (2020-21, ¡¯24), but this will mark his first time breaking camp as a Major Leaguer. The backup backstop gig was March¨¢n¡¯s to lose, but he still fought hard for it during his first full Spring Training.
¡°That's [also] something that I've been feeling really, really proud of, because I put a lot of work in the offseason to be decent at this point,¡± March¨¢n said.
The 26-year-old entered camp out of options, meaning that for the Phillies to reassign him to Triple-A, March¨¢n would have first had to clear waivers, which was very unlikely given his performance and how coveted catching depth is across the league. The only way for the Phils to keep all three catchers was to send down Stubbs, a fan and clubhouse favorite who had an option remaining, and keep March¨¢n on the roster.
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That decision didn¡¯t come without a little heartbreak, but manager Rob Thomson stressed that business aside, March¨¢n has earned his time.
¡°This was a tough day for me, just knowing how important Stubby is to the culture around here, and he's such a great teammate,¡± Thomson said. ¡°But March¨¢n has played well too, and March¨¢n can really throw. ¡ He's very intelligent. He does a great job handling pitchers and staying with a plan, and he's actually swung the bat a lot better than his numbers. ¡
¡°He's happy, and I'm happy for him, I really am, because he's been waiting for this for a long time.¡±
Rojas good to go
Johan Rojas played seven innings in center field against the Braves and reported no issues with his right shoulder afterward. Rojas, who will likely be the Phils¡¯ fourth outfielder this season, made several plays in center field to test the shoulder, which he injured sliding into second base during the Dominican Winter League playoffs.
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Philadelphia¡¯s choice to keep Rojas from the field to this point was more out of an abundance of caution than anything, and the 24-year-old showed all was well on back-to-back plays in the third inning when he uncorked a hard throw to the infield after catching a flyout.
That, coupled with the intense workouts Rojas put himself through to keep his legs in shape and his endurance up while DHing, has got him right in step with his teammates as Opening Day draws near.
Thomson said Rojas will DH on Friday before playing outfield again on Saturday.
Su¨¢rez, Strahm improving
Thomson said Ranger Suárez felt ¡°a lot better¡± on Thursday, after the righty was diagnosed with a stiff back following a four-inning, 60-pitch start at the Carpenter Complex on Saturday. Su¨¢rez is scheduled to play catch on Friday. Matt Strahm (left shoulder impingement) also ¡°came in fine¡± to camp, per Thomson, suggesting that things are beginning to take shape regarding the few big question marks surrounding the Phillies¡¯ rotation.
¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll sit down and plan the rest of Spring Training,¡± Thomson said.