Phillies Mailbag: Stott's Season, No-Hitter, Moniak's Status

We are back once again with a 97.3 ESPN Phillies mailbag. Each week we take your questions and answer them on The Sports Bash with Mike Gill. Tune in each Tuesday at 2:40 to hear your questions answered!

Do you think Didi Gregorius will be moved to make room for Bryson Stott this season, or will they just let his contract expire and install Stott full-time in '23?
~@DrFunkelstein24

One thing that I think the Phillies learned last season is that without depth, things can fall apart at the end. Since there are no waiver trades available after July 31, what you have on your active roster is all you have to get through the season. Last season, the Phillies were really hurt when Rhys Hoskins went down and Brad Miller was stretched too thin.

I do think that the contract of Didi Gregorius and that of Jean Segura will be let to expire. And I also think that Bryson Stott will be primed to take over one position or the other next year. But having Stott right now is valuable depth.

What would the Phillies do if they have a key injury to their infield? Having Stott to step in would be very helpful.

Speaking of Stott, it does not appear that the demotion to Triple-A has really affected him in a negative way. He is playing every day, and he is also producing. In 23 at bats, Stott has seven hits, including a home run. Among those hits are a home run, a triple and two doubles.

What should we make of the Phillies being no-hit the other day?
~Mark

Honestly, Mark? Not a whole lot, in my opinion. The Phillies only had five innings of Tylor Megill because he was rather wild. They took a lot of pitches because they were out of the zone. And when they swung, unfortunately they did not connect with any hits. "Effectively wild" some might say.

At the other end of the game, Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz were dominant. When Diaz is on, the pair is one of the top back-end duos in baseball. It's not a surprise they could get the last handful of outs.

So am I going to worry about what the Phillies did against former Phillie Joely Rodriguez, who walked two in his inning of work? Or Drew Smith, not yet scored upon in 2022?

The fact that the Phillies came out the next day and took a win made it just a loss.

Nick Castellanos remarked to the New York Post that it was just simply time to "forget it":

“Forget it. That’s the best way to bounce back,” Castellanos said after the game. “What are you going to learn from getting no-hit? You just forget it. Short-term memory. Have a good dinner, enjoy the night in New York City, and get ready to play [Saturday]. … Wash it down and get ready to get back into a series.”

It would have been nice if the Phillies had taken Sunday's game, but they will face the Mets next weekend for four, and it will not be on their minds.

Will there be a spot for Mickey Moniak when he is finally healthy?
~Mike

The forgotten story in this 2022 Phillies season may be outfielder Mickey Moniak. After an impressive Spring Training, Moniak's hand was broken on an ill-fated pitch in St. Petersburg against the Rays. Almost a month later, the time will be coming soon that he can begin to rehab his hand.

Simply put though, the Phillies will have to deal with Moniak's status when it comes. On Friday, manager Joe Girardi told the Philadelphia Inquirer that while Moniak can win the center field job, there's a lot in front of them first:

“Yeah [he has a shot at the center-field job],” Girardi said. “I mean, obviously, you have to go through rehab. And there’s so many things that can happen before Mickey actually is ready to go. To me, I feel like I don’t need to think about it much. Cross that bridge when we get there. I don’t really worry about it.”

There is indeed perhaps an opportunity for Moniak on the roster, if nothing else.

Matt Vierling has simply not hit in 2022. Roman Quinn will apparently be seeing some time in the infield. When drafted, Quinn was a shortstop. That flexibility of Quinn could mean that there is room on the roster for Quinn, Odubel Herrera, and maybe not Vierling if he is unable to hit.

Quinn can bat from the right side as Vierling does. And he seems to have supplanted Vierling as the late-inning defensive option.

With Johan Camargo in the fold, the Phillies will have an extra infielder. If two players would happen to go down in one game, Quinn could make an emergency appearance at second base. But that would be just for a day.

Quinn has no minor league options remaining, which might give him the edge over Vierling to stay.

So I think if Moniak is healthy and swinging the bat well in his rehab assignment, they can find a place for him on the roster.