The Philadelphia Phillies have received very little offensive help from their bench during the 2026 season.
In an effort to find answers against left-handed pitching, the club has rotated through several lineup options, but none have consistently delivered results. That has now led the Phillies to make another adjustment to their roster depth.
According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Otto Kemp is being sent back down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley during his second stint with the Major League club. Kemp originally made the Opening Day roster but struggled early in the season before being demoted.
Replacing him on the roster is Steward Berroa, an outfielder the Phillies claimed off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers on April 8. As a switch-hitter, Berroa offers interim manager Don Mattingly a different type of weapon off the bench and adds more versatility to the team’s depth chart.
Phillies Shake Up Bench With Steward Berroa Addition
Berroa has appeared in 30 Major League games between the Toronto Blue Jays and Brewers. His offensive numbers have been limited so far, as he owns a .167/.314/.190 slash line. While his 31.4% strikeout rate is concerning, he has shown patience at the plate with a strong 17.6% walk rate.
Still, the Phillies are not expecting Berroa to provide a major boost offensively. Instead, his value comes from his speed, defense, and ability to impact games in different ways.
Most of his work in the minors this year has come in center field, giving Mattingly another late-game option. Berroa can be used as a pinch runner to create scoring opportunities or inserted defensively to help protect a lead in the final innings.
Those are roles that were not readily available with Kemp, who had seen his opportunities become increasingly limited. Over the last 10 days, Kemp logged only five at-bats, signaling that he was no longer a significant part of Mattingly’s plans.
A similar situation unfolded with Felix Reyes, who was sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier this month when Kemp returned to the roster. Neither player appeared fully prepared to handle Major League pitching, resulting in reduced playing time.
“It was tough to find at-bats, and I don’t want to force it,” Mattingly said. “So it’s a tough spot to be in.”
For the Phillies, using the final bench spot on a player with Berroa’s speed and defensive ability makes more sense if that extra position player is not expected to receive regular starts. His skill set provides the club with a different dimension that could become valuable in close games.