Could Oscar Mercado be an Option for the Phillies’ Last Bench Spot?

The battle for the Phillies’ last bench spot got a lot more interesting after the Sunday news of Weston Wilson’s injury. Wilson, 30, impressed at the plate in 2024, slashing .284/.347/.489 across 40 games with a 132 OPS+. The Phillies like Wilson and it seemed like the last spot on the bench was his to lose up until a few days ago:

Weston Wilson has a moderate oblique strain. He will miss six weeks, taking him out of the running for a bench job. Buddy Kennedy’s odds improve. Hits right-handed. Could see time in OF this spring.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) February 22, 2025

A spot that had a clear leading candidate just three days ago has now turned into a battle. Kody Clemens, Cal Stevenson, and Buddy Kennedy are the three names to watch for that last spot. Stevenson and Clemens both hit left-handed and from how Rob Thomson has spoken the last few days, it seems like he and the team would prefer a right-handed hitter in that spot. Buddy Kennedy then jumps to the top, but Kennedy has never played an inning of outfield in his major league career.

Edmundo Sosa has been shagging fly balls with Paco Figueroa just about every day this spring. The Phillies are trying to get Sosa comfortable with the outfield to give him more flexibility, which would lead to more playing time for a good bat. The experiment didn’t work a few years ago, but Rob Thomson said Sosa is adjusting well this time around.

Oscar Mercado is a name I’m looking out for over the next few weeks. He’s not the favorite for the job. He’s probably not the second favorite either. But he’s a right-handed hitting outfielder who plays fantastic defense. He didn’t play at all in the majors last season. His last year in the pros was back in 2023 with St. Louis, where he slashed .290/.313/.387 with a .700 OPS. Mercado was with the Phillies for one game back in 2022.

Rob Thomson talked to Tom McCarthy Sunday on the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast and mentioned Mercado as an option for that last bench spot.

Johan Rojas making the roster, which it’s assumed he will, could potentially sway the Phillies away from having Mercado on the roster, due to too many defensive-first guys and not enough bats. But I don’t think Mercado is out of the running at all.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported a few days back that the Phillies will look externally for some bench bats on cheap contracts. He said it seems like the Phillies could wait until cuts start to happen across the league. Maybe it’s another Jeff Hoffman situation from a few years ago, or a situation like the Jake Cave trade at the end of last spring.

I think the overall leader in the clubhouse right now is Kennedy. But a good spring at the plate for Oscar Mercado could give the Phillies something to think about. He has the glove and he has the experience, at least more than Kennedy. I’d still like the Phillies to go out and get a veteran off of the bench. I’ve begged for Adam Duvall for years, and although he had an abysmal 2024, he’s a year removed from an .834 OPS in 2023.

Heard the Phillies need a veteran right-handed hitting outfielder off of the bench…pic.twitter.com/RA5AHhRrED

— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) February 23, 2025

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