Wilson disappointed after ‘freak accident’ cost him shot at Opening Day roster

Wilson disappointed after ‘freak accident’ cost him shot at Opening Day roster originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Weston Wilson had finished his morning workout Friday at BayCare Ballpark, stretched, gone through defensive drills and taken batting practice.

He was getting ready for the final portion of his day, live batting practice against Taijuan Walker. That’s when he suffered the Grade 2 strain of his left oblique that will cost him six weeks and the chance to make his first Opening Day roster.

“Before my live at-bats, I was doing my breaking ball routine in the cage and that’s when it happened,” he said Sunday morning as the Phillies prepared for their first home spring training game of the year.

“It’s disappointing, obviously. I worked really hard during the offseason to get my body in the best shape possible. It was a very normal swing. It was a freak accident. I don’t really understand why it happened.”

Oblique strains are common baseball injuries and often a source of frustration for physically fit athletes who work to strengthen that area. The cause is usually all the torso twisting involved with swinging a bat.

“There’s not really an explanation they gave me other than, ‘Y’all create a lot of force in your torque and that kind of can happen,” Wilson said.

“I didn’t lunge or reach for the ball. It was a very normal swing. I didn’t do anything different. … I can’t really describe the feeling. Like a strong grab. I knew right away. Right away. And I knew it wasn’t just like a tweak, that it was worse than that.”

The Phillies will take Wilson’s rehab slowly. His spring training is over (aside from rehab) and he’ll restart his ramp-up for the regular season in early April, barring a setback.

Wilson’s injury opens up a spot on the Phillies’ bench because he appeared to be the frontrunner for it with his right-handed bat and ability to play both infield corners and both outfield corners along with experience in center.

With him out of the mix for the next six weeks, the Opening Day roster chances of Buddy Kennedy, Kody Clemens and Cal Stevenson increase. Kennedy started at first base on Saturday in Lakeland and hit a two-run homer. He was back in the lineup Sunday at second base. A key for him will be playing passable left-field defense if given the opportunity this spring.

Kennedy is a righty; Clemens and Stevenson are left-handed hitters. With such a lefty-heavy starting lineup – Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Max Kepler, Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh — a right-handed bat in the final bench spot made sense. It still makes sense, though manager Rob Thomson said Saturday that if Edmundo Sosa’s work in left field and center field this spring goes smoothly, it could enable the final bench bat to be a lefty (like Clemens or Stevenson).

Contract options will also play a role. Kennedy and Clemens are out of options and cannot be sent to the minor leagues without first being removed from the Phillies’ 40-man roster and exposed to waivers. Both would be risks to be claimed by another team, and the Phillies enjoy maintaining as much roster depth as possible. Stevenson can be optioned, making him the longshot of the three.

The Phillies could also end up filling this bench spot with someone outside the organization, as they did on the eve of the 2023 regular season when they traded for Cristian Pache, who took the place of Dalton Guthrie 24 hours after Opening Day.

When healthy, Wilson should still be able to help the Phillies this season. He might have to hit his way up for a third straight year but there’s plenty of time. He started just two games for the Phillies in the first half of 2024 and played in four, then after the All-Star break hit .300/.360/.525 with 11 extra-base hits in 89 plate appearances.

“I’ve already been rehabbing,” Wilson said. “Gonna come back stronger and healthier and ready to play this year and help this team win ballgames.”