A few questions about the Phillies to ponder in the midst of a drama-free spring training

Disclaimer: What you are about to read isn’t clickbait.

Sorry, but if you’re scrolling for sensational headlines or stop-the-presses stories, Phillies camp isn’t the place for you. Trust us, we’ve looked under every palm tree. But the lineup is set and the rotation is full, so nobody’s throwing elbows for an everyday job. Everyone’s (mostly) healthy.

What passes for news, then, is high jinks between ex-teammates over robot umpires, technology that is being tested in spring training but won’t be deployed in games that count until 2026, at the earliest. Otherwise, it’s a drama-free zone.

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Well, mostly. There are baseball decisions pending, even if they don’t qualify as attention-grabbers. From a wide-open competition for the final bench spot (or two) to a backup catcher duel to the eighth seat in the bullpen, back-of-the-roster questions abound.

The Phillies didn’t play Monday, one of only two days off before camp breaks on March 24, which gave us a chance to take a breath and consider what we’ve already seen and what we’re looking forward to over the next three weeks.

A few questions to ponder:

For three years, the Phillies have spent spring training debating whether Brandon Marsh can hit lefties well enough to play every day.

This year, they might have no choice but to find out.

Because Johan Rojas, who could share center field with Marsh, tweaked his right shoulder in winter ball, according to manager Rob Thomson, and has been limited to hitting. The Phillies insist they’re unconcerned. Rojas is expected to resume throwing this week and has made 13 plate appearances in five games as a DH.

» READ MORE: The Phillies hope to see more production from Brandon Marsh against lefties. But will he get enough chances?

But what if Rojas needs more time to get ready? Or what if the Phillies prefer that he get everyday at-bats in triple A rather than facing only lefties in the majors?

Behold the outfield experiment with Edmundo Sosa.

Sosa, a utility infielder, is getting time in left field and center field, an idea that the Phillies flirted with last year but didn’t follow through on after Sosa reached base at a .336 clip with four homers and an .841 OPS in 32 games while filling in at shortstop for injured Trea Turner.

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“I feel much better. I’m seeing the ball much better,” Sosa told reporters after playing center field Saturday against the Tigers. “I’m seeing the angles much better. My reactions are quicker.”

Maybe Sosa is a righty-hitting option in the outfield. Maybe not. Weston Wilson had the inside track on a bench spot, but a strained muscle in his side will land him on the opening-day injured list. Cal Stevenson is on the 40-man roster, and prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr. has three homers in 12 at-bats. But like Marsh and Max Kepler, they bat from the left side.

It’s possible the Phillies could make a move for a righty-hitting outfielder before camp ends, á la two years ago when they acquired Cristian Pache on the eve of opening day. Even so, there aren’t many out-of-options outfielders who bat from the right side.

Maybe, then, this is the year that Marsh finally gets a run of playing time against lefties. He batted .192 with a .552 OPS in 90 plate appearances against lefties last season.

For weeks, Phillies officials gushed over how well Walker threw the ball in bullpen sessions and live batting practice.

In his first spring-training start, he backed it up.

Walker’s fastball velocity averaged 92.9 mph — and topped out at 93.9 — Sunday against the Blue Jays, a notable jump from his first start last spring when he barely cracked 90 mph on only three pitches. He had more life on his signature splitter and looked athletic on the mound.

The whole thing was … well … encouraging.

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It’s a long way from here to March 24, so the Phillies will keep Walker stretched out as a starter and their fingers crossed that he keeps pitching well and that they don’t need him. Because barring injury, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, and Jesús Luzardo have rotation spots locked up.

In that case, where does Walker fit?

Talk about first-world baseball problems.

No team ever complained about having too much pitching. If Walker continues his encouraging spring, the Phillies might find a match in a trade before the end of spring training. But the veteran righty is coming off a humiliating season in which he posted a 7.10 ERA. And he’s owed $18 million in each of the next two seasons.

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The Phillies do have a vacancy in the bullpen. None of the top holdover contenders on the 40-man roster — Tyler Phillips, Max Lazar, and Michael Mercado — has made a strong first impression. Devin Sweet, acquired in the offseason from the Tigers, is intriguing. Nonroster righty John McMillon popped triple digits on the radar gun.

But the Phillies could use Walker as a multi-inning swingman and move righty Joe Ross, signed in December to fill that position, into more of a leverage role.

Stranger things have happened.

“Who knows? Jobs are up for grabs, so the best guy’s going to get it,” Thomson told reporters. “If somebody else doesn’t throw well, and [Walker’s] throwing great, who knows what’s going to happen? We’ve got a ways to go here. And usually it works itself out.”