Opening Day has arrived in the city of Philadelphia.
The reigning National League East champions are set to defend their division crown for the third straight season in what will be a very special year of Phillies baseball.
Led by their star-studded lineup featuring Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, the Phillies are expected to make another run at the World Series this upcoming season. Following their loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Divisional Series, the Phillies aim to knock the back-to-back champs off their throne.
Despite rumors of running it back, the Phillies did, in fact, make some changes heading into the 2026 season.
Outfielder Adolis García is the organization’s new starting right fielder, having signed this offseason to a one-year contract. Garcia was the 2023 ALCS MVP for the Texas Rangers, whose postseason heroics helped lead the club to its first World Series.
He will replace Nick Castellanos, who the club released back in February. Castellanos has caught on with the San Diego Padres.
Utility man Dylan Moore made the team out of Spring Training. Moore is a utilityman formerly with the Seattle Mariners, where he won a Gold Glove in 2024. Expect to see him all across the diamond this season.
In the bullpen, the Phillies made wholesale changes.
Brad Keller signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs to become the team’s newest setup man.
He is joined by Kyle Backhus, formerly of the Arizona Diamondbacks; Zach Pop, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays; and Jonathan Bowlan, formerly of the Kansas City Royals.
Matt Strahm was traded to the Royals for Bowlan in a one-for-one swap.
There are a few players still on the team who will not be ready to play to start the season.
Johan Rojas will start the season on the restricted list for 80 games due to a violation of the league’s drug policy.
Zack Wheeler, Orion Kerkering and Max Lazar each will begin the season on the injured list.
For the first time in a long time, two players in the MLB top 100 rankings will be on the Phillies roster to start a season.
Top prospects Andrew Painter (#28) and Justin Crawford (#53) will make their major league debuts this upcoming week.
Crawford has won the starting centerfielder job for the Phillies in Spring Training. The young outfielder hit .334 in Triple-A last season, swiping 46 bases.
Painter will be the team’s fifth starter. He will make his debut on March 31 against the Washington Nationals. The right-hander was once the sixth-ranked prospect in all of Major League Baseball.
These two players will hopefully help usher in the next generation of Phillies baseball.
Once again, the Phillies will battle their arch rivals, the New York Mets, for the National League East crown.
New York revamped their team, parting ways with Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil. They brought in players such as Marcus Semien and Freddy Peralta to try to leap them back into the postseason picture.
The Atlanta Braves have always been a thorn in the side of the Phillies.
Atlanta brings back a star-studded cast led by Ronald Acuña Jr. and Chris Sale. The Braves will have 10 players start the season on the injured list. This includes Spencer Strider, AJ Smith-Shawver and Spencer Schwellenbach.
Do not forget about the Miami Marlins, a team that caught fire in the second half of last season. While the Marlins did not make any big moves this offseason, they certainly have the potential to cause damage in the division.
Miami will look towards Sandy Alcántara to have a bounce-back season and anchor their young and dynamic pitching staff.
In D.C., the Washington Nationals are in full rebuild mode.
Despite having young stars like James Wood and C.J. Abrams, the Nationals are not going to be a competitive bunch this upcoming season.
The division will come down to Philadelphia vs. New York.
Another chapter in this long-standing rivalry is ready to be written.
