Three questions the Phillies must answer before they decide what to do at the trade deadline

Never mind that the Phillies led by only two runs in the ninth inning last Wednesday night. Or that the sinking line drive heading in Johan Rojas’ direction might have tied the game if it skipped past him and rolled to the wall.

Rojas’ job is to cover the outfield like a tarp, not to play it safe.

So, the 23-year-old dove to his left, after racing halfway across center field, and turned a surefire hit (expected batting average: .780, according to Statcast) into the second-to-last out of a 5-3 victory at Wrigley Field.

José Alvarado got credit for the save. The real rescue belonged to Rojas.

“He can do that. He can cover a lot of ground,” manager Rob Thomson said. “That’s the biggest reason why he’s here. Right?”

Right. But is it enough to keep Rojas around for the rest of the season?

Three weeks from the trade deadline — July 30 at 6 p.m., in case you’d like to set a calendar reminder — the Phillies have internal decisions to make before choosing what to do. Chief among them: Assessing their needs in the outfield.

» READ MORE: How aggressive will the Phillies be at the trade deadline? Let’s look at Dave Dombrowski’s history for clues.

Entering the week, the Phillies ranked 27th in OPS in center field (.589) and 25th in left field (.645). But it wasn’t merely an offensive shortfall at those positions. They were tied for 22nd in wins above replacement in center field (1.1) and tied for 27th in left (0.5), as measured by Fangraphs.

No wonder the Phillies are rumored to be interested in every outfielder who might be available — and a few who probably aren’t.

But the market is still taking shape — through Monday, 22 of 30 teams were in possession of a playoff spot or within 5½ games — giving the Phillies time to answer a few internal questions.

A year ago, the Phillies scouted several righty-hitting outfielders before the deadline. But after calling up Rojas from double A last July 15 as an injury fill-in, they decided their best alignment included his elite defense in center field.

What has changed?

For one thing, Rojas’ defense isn’t nearly as elite. He has recorded four outs above average and prevented three runs in 66 games, according to Statcast. In 59 games last year, he recorded nine outs above average and prevented eight runs.

» READ MORE: What if the Phillies’ outfield production doesn’t improve? Here are a few trade options to watch.

Rojas’ hitting remains a weakness. Among 223 players who began the week with at least 225 plate appearances, he ranked 219th with a .547 OPS, 44% worse than league average.

When the Phillies optioned Rojas to triple A on June 17, they didn’t intend to bring him back so quickly. But Kyle Schwarber (groin) and Bryce Harper (hamstring) went on the injured list 11 days later. Rojas started eight of nine games through Sunday and went 5-for-28 (.179) with nine strikeouts and one walk.

Rojas is being encouraged to use his speed, and he did leg out a pair of infield hits last Friday night in Atlanta. If he’s able drop down a bunt more often, even better. But it’s all predicated on difference-making defense, such as his clutch catch last week in Chicago.

Otherwise, the Phillies could more seriously consider a prospect-laden offer for Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox or the Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. — unless they suddenly have a different answer to this common question:

Publicly, Thomson continues to express confidence that Marsh will hit lefties. But the manager’s actions indicate otherwise. Marsh hasn’t been in the lineup against a lefty starter (non-opener) since May 16.

And here’s the thing: It’s difficult to fault Thomson.

It has been argued, in this space and elsewhere, that the Phillies should play Marsh every day for the time being. But he’s 7-for-46 (.152) with 25 strikeouts against lefties this season after going 22-for-96 (.229) with 49 strikeouts against them last year.

For now, Marsh’s opportunities to face lefties come against relievers, and usually when the Phillies have a lead.

» READ MORE: Building the Perfect Phillies Pitcher: The signature pitch from each starter, and what makes it special

“It’s baby steps,” Thomson said recently. “Eventually, I think he’s going to be not a platoon. I think he’s going to get the bulk of left-handed pitching.”

Maybe. But it won’t happen in the next three weeks, so Marsh can’t be regarded as a full-time center-field alternative. He’s a better defender in left field anyway. But regardless of his position in the outfield, the Phillies must find him a righty-hitting platoon mate.

Whit Merrifield was expected to fill that role, but the veteran utilityman entered the week batting .197/.278/.283 with one RBI since June 13, no extra-base hits since June 8, and the third-lowest hard-hit rate of any player with at least 100 plate appearances. Cristian Pache, two years older than Rojas with a similar skill set, is batting .196/.292/.261.

Depending on recent usage, Thomson appears to trust at least a half-dozen relievers to get important late-inning outs. Five Phillies relievers have at least one save, a club that doesn’t include Orion Kerkering and All-Star Matt Strahm, who have a 1.59 and 1.38 ERA, respectively.

But Thomson’s tendency is to lean even harder on the bullpen in the postseason. It’s possible, then, that adding another late-game reliever will be the Phillies’ top deadline priority.

It’s also worth noting that the Phillies pivoted away from the free-agent market after coming up empty in their pursuits of hard-throwing righties Jordan Hicks and Robert Stephenson, preferring to stick with what they have and save up for an in-season move.

» READ MORE: The Phillies’ bullpen isn’t a weakness, but that doesn’t mean they should pass on upgrading at the trade deadline

In president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s three previous seasons with the Phillies, he has mostly supplemented the roster around the edges with deadline deals for Kyle Gibson, Noah Syndergaard, David Robertson, Marsh, and Michael Lorenzen. Going back further in the expanded wild-card era (since 2012), he often took a similar approach with the Tigers and Red Sox. It’s his likeliest course again this year.

But one season stands apart in Dombrowski’s recent history. After the Tigers lost in the World Series in 2012 and the ALCS in 2013, he went all-in at the deadline in 2014 and pulled off a blockbuster for David Price.

Could Dombrowski go for it again now in an analogous situation?

The answer may depend on how the Phillies sort through their internal questions.