It’s finally back! After an offseason that was about a month too long after their early exit in the NLDS, Philadelphia Phillies baseball is officially back as of today. With spring training camp well underway, the Phillies open their Grapefruit League schedule on Saturday with an away game against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland.

The team released its lineup for the spring opener, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET this afternoon. Manager Rob Thomson’s starting nine features a few familiar faces and some players who are beginning their push to make the Opening Day roster. While the star veterans typically don’t play much in away games, and we’ll have to wait to get our first look at the most popular players like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and company, at least we will get some highlights from some of the players fighting for jobs this spring.

The bad news is that, despite the fact that we’re in the year 2025, the game isn’t televised (you can thank the Tigers for that). You can listen on the radio or online, thanks to 94WIP, however.

Regardless, how does the Phillies first lineup of Grapefruit League action look? Let’s take a peek.

Let the games begin! pic.twitter.com/zwRuF8Dbwr

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) February 22, 2025

Phillies’ spring training opener lineup begins intriguing roster battles

• DH Johan Rojas
• 2B Bryson Stott
• 3B Alec Bohm
• LF Max Kepler
• 1B Buddy Kennedy
• C Rafael Marchán
• CF Cal Stevenson
• SS Rodolfo Castro
• RF Matt Kroon
• RHP Nabil Crismatt

Regulars Bryson Stott at second base and Alec Bohm at third will both look to get their 2025 seasons off on the right foot after underwhelming finishes in 2024. Johan Rojas will also get a chance to show if his impressive hitting from the Dominican Winter League can carry over into the spring.

Seeing those familiar faces in the Phillies’ first lineup of the year is always nice, but it’s some of the other players who have intriguing storylines to watch. Newcomer Max Kepler draws into the Phillies’ first lineup of the year. The 10-year veteran will begin his quest to prove to the Phillies that he can indeed be the everyday left fielder this season, as they hope he can be.

We found out earlier this week that non-roster invitee Nabil Crismatt will take the ball to start the game for the Phillies. The veteran right-hander, who is trying to earn one of the final bullpen spots this spring, will pitch two innings today. He carries a career 3.71 ERA over parts of five MLB seasons posted a 2.71 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in seven innings across five relief appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024.

Rafael Marchán, who’s in a battle with Garrett Stubbs for the backup catcher job this spring, gets the first crack behind the plate as Crismatt’s batterymate. At least Marchán is healthy to begin the Grapefruit League schedule.

Weston Wilson was originally penciled in to take the trip to Lakeland, but he felt a grab in his oblique on Friday in the batting cage. His status is yet to be determined, but any kind of injury opens the door for players like Buddy Kennedy, who will man first base today, Cal Stevenson in center, and even Matt Kroon in right, to get a larger shot at claiming the final bench spot on the Opening Day roster.