Phillies announce Spring Training non-roster invitees
The Phillies are inviting 27 non-roster players to Spring Training this year, the team announced on Friday. Headlining the list are top prospects outfielder Justin Crawford and infielder Aidan Miller.
Crawford is the frontrunner to be the Phillies’ opening day centerfielder. A career .322 hitter in the minor leagues, Crawford comes with question marks; he hits the ball on the ground a lot. There are also questions that surround his defense, but he should be athletic enough to make up for mistakes he makes as he learns how to be a major league centerfielder.
Miller, the Phillies’ top prospect, will come to camp unlikely to be on the Opening Day roster. But there could be scenarios in which he debuts with the Phillies this summer. If an infielder sustains an injury or isn’t performing well enough, the 2023 first-round pick could be a replacement option. Miller struggled at the start of 2025, but picked things up down the stretch. Between August and September, Miller slashed .356/.491/.607 in 173 plate appearances, 37 of which came at Triple A.
Another notable prospect who’s a non-roster invitee is Aroon Escobar, a 21-year-old infielder who hit .270 with a .774 OPS between Single A, High A and Double A last year.
Dante Nori, the Phillies’ first-round pick in 2024, is also on the list.
Outfielder Bryan De La Cruz is also a non-roster invitee and could be an option for the Opening Day roster. The right-handed hitter won MVP in the Dominican Winter League and has appeared in 491 games in the majors. De La Cruz could win the job as Brandon Marsh’s platoon partner in left field if he has a strong showing this spring.
Here’s the full list of non-roster invitees:
- LHP Génesis Cabrera
- LHP Tucker Davidson
- LHP Tim Mayza
- LHP Andrew Walling
- RHP Andrew Bechtold
- RHP Jonathan Hernández
- RHP Michael Mercado
- RHP Trevor Richards
- RHP Bryse Wilson
- C Kehden Hettiger
- C Mark Kolozsvary
- C Paul McIntosh
- C René Pinto
- C Caleb Ricketts
- INF Keaton Anthony
- INF Christian Cairo
- INF Carson DeMartini
- INF Aroon Escobar
- INF Aidan Miller
- INF Liover Peguero
- INF Bryan Rincon
- INF José Rodríguez
- OF Dylan Campbell
- OF Justin Crawford
- OF Bryan De La Cruz
- OF Dante Nori
- INF/OF Felix Reyes