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Phillies make decision on Adam Haseley, Odubel Herrera

The Phillies have informed outfielder Adam Haseley that he has made the Opening Day roster. Odúbel Herrera, who was a candidate to win the starting job in center field, will report to the alternate training site in Lehigh Valley.

Adam Haseley will make the Opening Day roster. (Cheryl Pursell)

Haseley, who was not expected to be healthy in time for the start of the season after suffering an adductor strain, should be apart of a center field platoon with Roman Quinn to begin the regular season.

Since he was not on the 40-man roster, Herrera had to play his way onto the team. While he did slug .500 through 16 Grapefruit League games, his .255 on-base percentage just wasn’t enough to warrant the 29-year-old a spot.

Scott Kingery, who appeared to be the favorite to win the job heading into camp, was sent down to the minors on Sunday. He struggled all throughout spring training after making a few mechanical adjustments to his swing. Joe Girardi and the coaching staff prefer Kingery to work out of his funk in a controlled environment with the hope that he’ll be back up with the big club relatively soon.

As for who could be the Opening Day starter in center field, it seems likely that Quinn will get the nod. Haseley was featured in the starting lineup in only two games against left-handed starting pitching. The team is slated to face Max Fried, a lefty, on Opening Day. It’s unlikely that Girardi has had a change of heart when it comes to Haseley facing left-handed pitching.

For now, the most talked-about position battle of spring training has come to a conclusion. All of this, however, could change as the season moves along. One of either Haseley or Quinn struggling could force the Phillies to make a change.

Other roster news

The Phillies have selected the contracts of right-handed pitcher Brandon Kintzler and outfielder Matt Joyce. This means that Kintzler and Joyce are now on the 40-man roster. Infielder Ronald Torreyes was informed that he would make the team, but the Phillies have yet to formally add him to the roster.

This means that three 40-man roster spaces have to be cleared. Simon Muzziotti, a prospect who had not appeared in a single Grapefruit League game due to visa issues, was placed on the restricted list. Infielder C.J. Chatham was released. To get Torreyes on the 40-man, the team will have to make a corresponding move. Once Muzziotti reports, they’ll have to add him back to the 40-man and make another move to clear a space.