As the Philadelphia Phillies wait on word regarding Johan Rojas‘ appeal of an 80-game PED suspension, the club is giving first baseman Keaton Anthony an opportunity in the outfield.
The 24-year-old has appeared in left field twice during Spring Training action this week. He spent time working out with Brandon Marsh during batting practice recently, per Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic. “He’s a ballplayer,” outfield coach Paco Figueroa said, relayed by Varnes. “There’s not a big glaring thing he needs to improve on. It’s just getting reps out there and playing games in the outfield.”
FanGraphs has Anthony ranked 16th among the Phillies’ prospects heading into the 2026 season. MLB.com wasn’t as enthusiastic, putting him at 30th. Anthony has only played first base and DH in his three seasons as a professional. Varnes notes that he played 41 games in the outfield in 2022 while with the University of Iowa.
The Phillies grabbed Anthony as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He hit the ground running in
the minors and has continued to produce at every level. Anthony posted a 151 wRC+ in a small 14-game sample to begin his pro career. He began the 2024 campaign at Single-A, slashing a robust .322/.446/.470 across 44 games. The strong performance earned him a bump to High-A. Anthony was unfazed by the promotion, hitting .356 over 232 plate appearances.
The hit tool continues to look like Anthony’s best strength. He opened this past season at Double-A, where he delivered a .330 batting average in 49 games. Anthony closed the year at Triple-A and just kept piling up hits. The first baseman batted .313 in 148 plate appearances at the highest minor league level.
Outside of a five-game sample at Single-A in 2023 and a six-game stint at Double-A in 2024, Anthony has hit over .300 at every minor league stop. The production should have been enough to earn a big-league look, but the Phillies have multiple roadblocks in Anthony’s path. Bryce Harper is locking down first base through 2031 after signing a massive 13-year, $330,000 million contract. Philadelphia brought back Kyle Schwarber on a five-year, $150 million agreement this offseason, filling the DH spot. The outfield might be the only path for Anthony.
Rojas is currently appealing his suspension. Due to the nature of the appeals process, he’s still working out with the team and can continue to do so until the matter is decided. PED suspension appeals hardly ever go the player’s way, so there’s a strong likelihood he won’t be with the club on Opening Day.
Adolis Garcia is locked into right field, and Marsh has the inside track for the left field job. The rest of the outfield, including the bench options, is unsettled. Top prospect Justin Crawford seems to be on his way toward earning the everyday center field job. He’d likely get a chance ahead of Anthony given his pedigree. The candidates to fill bench roles are Dylan Moore, Otto Kemp, Edmundo S
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