The Philadelphia Phillies secured 95 wins in 2024, marking their best season since 2012, when they recorded 102 victories. However, the outcome remained familiar — another early playoff exit. In 2012, it was the St. Louis Cardinals who ended their run, while in 2024, the New York Mets sent them home in the NL Division Series. Now in 2025, the Phillies aim to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year and chase their first World Series title since defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, which was just the second championship in the team’s 122-year history.
This season, Philadelphia will have one of the highest payrolls in baseball, trailing only the Mets and Dodgers. Naturally, they’re hoping to get a strong return on that investment. But during a Spring Training game on Sunday, instead of production, they were dealt a costly blow — suffering injuries totaling $13 million in salary.
Marsh, Kepler Leave Game After Outfield Misadventures
That $13 million figure represents the combined salaries of two key outfielders projected to make up two-thirds of the Phillies’ Opening Day outfield. Both players sustained contact-related injuries during 12-1 victory over the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. One of them is Max Kepler, a 10-year MLB veteran formerly with the Minnesota Twins, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal with Philadelphia this offseason.
The other $3 million belongs to Brandon Marsh, who avoided arbitration this winter by agreeing to a one-year contract. Marsh, 27, was originally drafted in the second round by the Angels in 2016 and made his MLB debut in 2021 before being traded to the Phillies in 2022 for catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
According to Phillies beat reporter Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, both Marsh and Kepler exited Sunday’s game following separate incidents. Fortunately, early indications suggest the injuries aren’t serious. Manager Rob Thomson removed both players as a precaution, and neither is expected to play in Monday’s exhibition game against the Blue Jays. However, both Marsh and Kepler said they would have remained in the game had it been a regular-season matchup.
Phillies Lack of Outfield Depth Facing Early Test
Marsh took a tumble on the warning track while chasing a fly ball in the first inning Sunday, then aggravated his knee further in the second inning when he dove for a sinking liner and hit the ground hard.
“Nothing really happened, just some impact when I hit the ground,” Marsh told Scott Lauber. “It tightened up a bit from the knock, but it’s nothing serious,” he added, calling the knee contusion minor.
Kepler, meanwhile, crashed into the outfield wall after making a catch to end the first inning. While he walked off on his own, he didn’t return for the second inning.
Speaking with The Inquirer, Kepler mentioned he took some swings between innings but noticed his back felt stiff. “It just feels like a bruise,” Kepler said. “We’re being cautious here — no point in making it worse.”
The Phillies will be counting on those self-assessments being accurate. Their outfield depth is already thin, with backup Johan Rojas yet to play defensively this spring as he recovers from a shoulder injury sustained in winter ball. Meanwhile, outfielders Cal Stevenson and non-roster invitee Óscar Mercado are expected to open the season in Triple-A, per Lauber’s report.