Phillies finalize wild-card roster: Weston Wilson is in, Michael Lorenzen left off

After throwing a no-hitter in August, Lorenzen did not make the cut as the Phillies opted for an extra bench player in Wilson.

Weston Wilson gives the Phillies another right-handed bat against a lefty-heavy Marlins pitching staff.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer / Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Scott Lauber

Published Oct. 3, 2023, 11:14 a.m. ET

Two months after throwing a no-hitter, Michael Lorenzen isn’t on the Phillies’ roster for the wild-card round of the playoffs.

The Phillies opted for an extra bench player — utilityman Weston Wilson — and only 12 pitchers for the best-of-three series against the Marlins, which opens Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Wilson, who got called up last weekend from the “stay ready” training camp in Clearwater, Fla., gives the Phillies another right-handed hitter against the Marlins’ lefty-heavy pitching staff. Wilson had a 31-homer, 32-steal season in triple A and plays multiple positions, including left field. He also had a 1.025 OPS against lefties in the minors.

It’s even possible that Wilson could start Game 1 in left field against Marlins lefty Jesus Luzardo, although manager Rob Thomson hinted over the weekend that he was leaning toward Cristian Pache because of his defense. Lefty-hitting Brandon Marsh, a .229/.321/.396 hitter against lefties, hasn’t started against a lefty since Aug. 30.

”I think, in time, he’s going to be consistent against left-handed pitching,” Thomson said. “Lately, he hasn’t seen the ball very well against them.”

Lorenzen, acquired at the trade deadline, made a memorable impression in his first home start by no-hitting the Washington Nationals. But after the 124-pitch masterpiece, he posted a 7.96 ERA in five starts and got bumped to the bullpen. He finished with a 5.51 ERA in 11 games (seven starts) for the Phillies.

The emergence of rookie reliever Orion Kerkering also contributed to Lorenzen’s getting squeezed out. Kerkering soared through four levels of the farm system, got called up Sept. 22, allowed one unearned run and struck out six in three innings, and will figure prominently in Thomson’s bullpen plans.

”He’s a leverage guy,” Thomson said. “He’s shown me enough stuff to be one of our top right-handers coming out of the bullpen.”

The 26-player roster can be changed before the divisional round. Here’s a look at the wild-card roster:

Pitchers (12): José Alvarado, Seranthony Domínguez, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, Craig Kimbrel, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, Gregory Soto, Matt Strahm, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker, Zack Wheeler.

Catchers (2): J.T. Realmuto, Garrett Stubbs.

Infielders (5): Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper, Edmundo Sosa, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner.

Outfielders (7): Nick Castellanos, Jake Cave, Brandon Marsh, Cristian Pache, Johan Rojas, Kyle Schwarber, Weston Wilson.