As a decision on Johan Rojas looms, Whit Merrifield is ready to play wherever he’s needed

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The final days of spring training tend to turn most observers into Sherlock Holmes in search of clues about which direction a team is leaning on its toughest roster decisions.

Take this, then, for whatever it may be worth: The Phillies have put Whit Merrifield in left field once in the last 10 days.

A bread crumb, or much ado about nothing?

» READ MORE: Phillies roster projection: Will Johan Rojas and Orion Kerkering make the cut for opening day?

Probably both.

Because if center fielder Johan Rojas makes the team, Merrifield will fill the utility role for which he was signed last month. But if the Phillies option Rojas to triple A, most of Merrifield’s playing time figures to come in left field, with Brandon Marsh sliding to center.

Yet there was Merrifield, playing second base again Thursday rather than getting reps in left field.

“I’ve done it so much,” Merrifield said this week of roaming the outfield, “that it kind of comes natural at this point.”

Fair point. Besides, manager Rob Thomson might have tipped his hand after Rojas helped his cause by knocking a two-out RBI single up the middle on a fastball from Rays reliever Jason Adam in the sixth inning.

“It was a good swing,” Thomson said. “The lower half was connected to the entire swing, and that’s what he’s been doing. He’s getting pretty consistent with it, and he’s making some hard contact. He’s starting to make pretty good decisions at the plate.”

Center field was always Rojas’ to lose. The Phillies didn’t sign a veteran outfielder to challenge him in spring training. But they did add Merrifield for $8 million to help provide coverage in case Rojas needed more time to hone a revamped swing in triple A.

» READ MORE: Johan Rojas is still not hitting much this spring. What are the Phillies’ options in center field?

And it’s partially because of Merrifield that team officials were able to discuss that possibility in a long meeting earlier this week.

Merrifield, 35, has played six positions in an eight-year major-league career. The majority of his starts have come at second base. But he has made 319 starts in the outfield, including 93 in left field, 66 of which came last season for the Blue Jays.

So, if the Phillies asked Merrifield to play every day in left?

“Not a problem,” he said.

Merrifield noted that he was named as an all-SEC center fielder as a sophomore at the University of South Carolina. He began moving around the field as a junior to help open center field for Jackie Bradley Jr., who went on to a Gold Glove career in the majors.

Based on defensive analytics, Merrifield’s best position is second base, where he rates as eight runs saved above average for his career. The numbers are less friendly to him in the outfield. He’s 10 runs saved below average in right field and two runs saved below average in left.

But Merrifield is skeptical of the metrics. Early last season, when the data didn’t align with how he believed he was playing in left field, he asked the Blue Jays’ analysts to look up the plays for which he graded poorly.

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“One was a fly ball to short left-center that the center fielder called me off and then missed it, and I was deducted as a 100% catch probability for me,” Merrifield said. “The other was a ball that [the Yankees’] Anthony Rizzo hit off the top of the wall in left field. It said it was like a 75% catch probability.

“That was the first time I’d really kind of asked, and that showed me how flawed the system is. I don’t pay attention to that anymore.”

Merrifield prefers to play multiple positions in spring training “just to check the boxes.” But he also doesn’t feel like he needs to concentrate on one specific position more than others.

Last season, Merrifield wore down in the second half of the season, a sign that he might be most effective starting three times a week rather than five or six. The Phillies view him as an option against tough left-handed pitching, either in left field for Marsh or at second base for Bryson Stott.

Rojas hasn’t put up numbers this spring. Including his hit Thursday, he’s 8-for-48 (.167) with one walk, and a .184 on-base percentage. But the Phillies maintained Rojas would be judged more on the quality of his work than the quantity of his stats, and team officials are pleased with his progress.

If the Phillies keep Rojas, he could continue to work with hitting coach Kevin Long while batting ninth and playing his elite-level defense.

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Maybe it’s a coincidence, then, that Merrifield hasn’t played left field since March 17. Or that Marsh hasn’t played center field yet all spring, although Thomson said the Phillies are hoping to get him into a game in center field before camp breaks Monday.

Or maybe it’s a clue that Rojas is on firm ground.

Follow the bread crumbs.

“It’s just like anything — the more you do it [play left field], the sharper you are,” Merrifield said. “In the past when I’ve put together stretches where I’ve got to play one position for an extended period of time, I’ve always had extremely good defensive numbers out there. But I can also do both [outfield and infield], so there’s a lot of value to that.”

Bryce Harper (back) is scheduled to get at-bats in minor-league games Friday, weather permitting (rain is in the forecast), and Saturday, and remains on track for opening day, according to Thomson. ... The Phillies haven’t ruled out reliever Orion Kerkering from being ready to start the season on time, but he’s scheduled to pitch in another minor-league game Saturday. Kerkering was slowed recently by the flu. He has made only one Grapefruit League appearance. “We’re not going to take any chances with him,” Thomson said. “Young guy. Great arm. He’s going to be around here for a long time, so we don’t want to force it.” ... Utility man Weston Wilson got hit by a pitch on the left hand. A scan was negative, but the Phillies were ordering an X-ray, too. ... Zack Wheeler is scheduled for his final spring-training tune-up at 1:05 p.m. Friday in Clearwater. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.