Philadelphia Phillies Urged to Option Struggling Youngster to Triple-A
The Philadelphia Phillies have been urged to send their struggling outfielder down to Triple-A as he hasn't found success at the plate early.
The 2-4 Philadelphia Phillies will take on the Washington Nationals in a three-game set starting on Friday night, giving them a prime opportunity to go 5-4 to start the season.
The Phillies' offense has been quiet during the first six games, scoring fewer than five runs in four of them. When Philadelphia is swinging the bat the way everyone knows they can, they're arguably the best team in baseball.
When they aren't, they'll struggle like how they have during the early part of this year.
Johan Rojas has been one player whose struggles have been clear. He's never been a great offensive player, but the elite defensive center fielder is struggling at the plate more than ever throughout these first six games.
Rojas is just slashing .067/.176/.067, getting one hit in 15 at-bats.
In the 2023 season, he swung the bat at a good enough level to warrant playing him. Rojas slashed .302/.342/.430, but played in just 59 games and only had a 149 at-bat sample size.
In Tim Kelly's latest Bleacher Report article, he urges the Phillies to option Rojas to Triple-A, allowing him to get at-bats and be comfortable at the plate.
"Johan Rojas might be the most gifted defensive outfielder in baseball, but his bat isn't major league ready, and the 23-year-old would benefit from some seasoning at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where there will be a lot less pressure than with the Philadelphia Phillies."
The struggles became clear for Rojas in the postseason last year, striking out 15 times and having just four hits across his 45 at-bats.
Expectations were for him to enter 2024 improved offensively after working hard during the offseason and Spring Training, but that hasn't been the case.
Philadelphia can't continue to put Rojas in the lineup with how bad he's been, so expect something to be done in the near future.
