Next Year's Philadelphia Phillies Projected Starting Lineup Has Notable Omission

It seems like the Philadelphia Phillies could have a different face patrolling their outfield on a regular basis next season.

Sep 6, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas (18) runs toward second base after hitting an RBI double against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at loanDepot Park / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Coming into this season, the Philadelphia Phillies had floated the idea of starting Johan Rojas in Triple-A based on how badly he struggled at the plate during the playoffs.

It was a difficult choice either way.

On one hand, the Phillies' bottom five defense completely turned around when the rookie was inserted into center field so Brandon Marsh could take over in left and move Kyle Schwarber back to designated hitter. This allowed them to defend well enough to make another deep run to the NLCS.

But, Rojas was clearly overmatched at the plate in the fall and was virtually an automatic out whenever it was his turn in the lineup, something that came back to bite Philadelphia.

The 24-year-old got off to a slow start this season, causing them to send him down to the minors for a stretch to work on things before he was quickly called back up because of some injuries.

Rojas has tons of talent in the field, so if he could find a way to consistently perform with the bat in his hand, there's a chance he could become one of the best all-around outfielders in the MLB.

Until that happens, though, he'll always be a topic of conversation when discussing the Phillies' offense, especially because his OPS+ is a staggering 31 points below the league average this year.

Heading into 2025, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report projected the Opening Day starting lineups of every club in Major League Baseball, and he notably did not have Rojas patrolling the outfield for Philadelphia.

Instead, he slotted Marsh in center, Austin Hays in left, and Nick Castellanos back in right to hold down the corners.

"The only real question in the Phillies lineup is whether the team will explore adding another outfielder to compete with Brandon Marsh and Austin Hays for playing time, particularly one who is a more natural fit in center field," he added.

Center field will be something heavily discussed during the offseason no matter how this year ends.

If Rojas is able to improve at the plate the final month and into the playoffs, like his .282 batting average with six extra-base hits over his last 30 games would suggest, then he should firmly be in the mix to be starting in 2025.

However, if he puts together another dud, there's a real possibility the Phillies get aggressive this winter to upgrade that spot in their lineup, giving Rojas some more time to develop since he's still just 24 years old.