Philadelphia Phillies' Role Player Proving His Worth During Limited Action

The Philadelphia Phillies have a great role player for what they need him to do coming off the bench, but the question remains if he should get more playing time.

Mar 14, 2024; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Edmundo Sosa (33) celebrates after scoring a run against the Boston Red Sox in the second inning at BayCare Ballpark. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard not to be impressed by Philadelphia Phillies' role player Edmundo Sosa.

He can go a number of games without moving off the bench and then become a key contributor.

Take Sunday for instance when Sosa crushed a solo home run and added an RBI single in the Phillies’ 3-2 loss to the Washington Nationals. He is a solid defensive player and the type of bench player any manager is looking for since he can play third and second base.

The question now becomes this: should Sosa be playing more? That’s always tricky because bench players can be exposed if they play too much.

Yet it’s difficult to overlook Sosa’s contribution to the club.

The 28-year-old slashed .251/.293/.330 last season while producing 10 home runs and 15 doubles.

Sosa returned to Philadelphia on a reported one-year deal for $1.7 million. That could turn out to be one of the biggest bargains in Major League Baseball.

He was acquired by the Phillies on July 30, 2022 from the St. Louis Cardinals for JoJo Romero. That move didn’t exactly shake the transaction wire.

Sometimes, the smallest deals are the ones that pay off in the biggest way.

Sosa was such an important contributor for Philadelphia last season as they came within one victory of advancing to the World Series for the second straight year.

It was worth bringing Sosa back for another season to bolster the bench.

Players will get injured. Players will need days off.

When that happens, and it will over the course of a marathon 162-game regular season, Sosa will be waiting.

Count on manager Rob Thomson to insert Sosa into the lineup. He would be foolish not to.