More roster decisions loom for Phillies

DUNEDIN, Fla. - The Phillies made one of their bench decisions on Monday afternoon, leaving two more bench jobs to fill before breaking camp on Friday.

The Phillies, who designated Andrew Knapp as their backup catcher, will fill their vacancies by selecting from Chris Coghlan, Jesmuel Valentin, Brock Stassi, and Daniel Nava. Outfielder Aaron Altherr, infielder Andres Blanco, and Knapp already have roles. The Phillies also have two roles to fill in their bullpen.

Manager Pete Mackanin said he would like to make the decisions "as soon as possible."

"Because the last four or five games, I'd like to play almost as if it were a season," Mackanin said before Monday evening's game against Toronto, the team's sixth-to-last game of camp. "... We just don't want to make a bad decision, so we're just going to string it out as long as we can."

Coghlan has experience in all three outfield positions and at every infield spot except shortstop. The 31-year-old is almost a lock to make the team, leaving one spot for Stassi, Nava, and Valentin. Valentin is the lone candidate already on the 40-man roster but is limited to second base and shortstop, a bench role already filled by Blanco.

Stassi, a 27-year-old first baseman who has spent time this spring in the outfield, is having a great camp after spending all of last season at triple A. Nava, also an outfielder and first baseman, is having a strong spring but cannot opt out of his contract until June 15. That could lead the Phillies to start him in triple A.

"Believe me, we're thinking hard and trying to get down to it as soon as possible," Mackanin said. "We have a good enough group here to, even with the three or four guys that are so-called on the bubble, they're at some point going to be part of the time."

The remaining candidates for the two bullpen jobs are lefthanders Adam Morgan, Cesar Ramos, and Joely Rodriguez; righthanders Luis Garcia and Alec Asher; and switch-pitcher Pat Venditte. Morgan, Rodriguez, Garcia, and Asher are on the 40-man roster.

"What we need is some length in the bullpen. We need to find someone who can provide us with that length. Asher's still in that picture," Mackanin said about the former starter who converted this spring to a relief role. "There's a number of guys that we're looking at or trying to figure out the best way to approach it. There's still some spots available."