Phillies Make Cuts on What Would Have Been Opening Day

Thursday should have been the start of the 2020 season.  But instead of heading to Miami to play the Marlins, Phillies players are at home practicing social distancing like the rest of us.  But even with the Phillies and the rest of MLB suspended for the time being, the Phillies made several moves.

The Phillies announced (via a Todd Zolecki retweet) that the optioned the following players to Triple-A Lehigh Valley:

• Outfielder Nick Williams
• Outfielder Kyle Garlick
• Starting pitcher Cole Irvin
• Relief pitcher Edgar Garcia
• Relief pitcher Austin Davis
• Relief pitcher Reggie McClain

Over on MLB.com Zolecki had some additional news:

The Phillies have made no decisions on non-roster invitees like Francisco Liriano, Neil Walker, Josh Harrison, Logan Forsythe, Phil Gosselin and others that had March opt-out clauses. Each player has opted to remain with the team and postpone their opt-out opportunities until camp reconvenes.

In other words, players are being flexible as the wait continues.

Major League Baseball is also being flexible.  The Phillies will be able to recall any of the following players before the Opening Day roster, without it counting as an option, Zolecki notes.  So, the Phillies move forward with the option to undo the move later, should the team have a need.

Does this mean camp will indeed resume? A source tells 97.3 ESPN that while a truck made the trip from Clearwater, Florida to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the truck mostly contained luggage for team executives.  The lockers of players remain full, unless players have removed personal items for their personal workouts at home.

No decision has been made about the resumption of play.