Phillies Nuggets: We already know what one of the top stories of Spring Training will be

One of the most interesting Phillies storylines in Clearwater will be related to Bryce Harper, but it won't have to do with whether or not he still believes he's elite. 

Rather it will be related to the quest of left-handed reliever Génesis Cabrera to try to stick in the organization as a non-roster invitee, and his ties to Phillies history. 

Let's take a step back. Mike Rodriguez reported last week that the Phillies have signed Cabrera to a minor-league deal, one that includes an invitation to big-league Spring Training: 

Según mis fuentes, el lanzador zurdo Génesis Cabrera firmó un contrato de liga menor por un año con los Philadelphia Phillies, con invitación a los Entrenamientos de Primavera. #Phillies #GenesisCabrera pic.twitter.com/DfXsqEfEPG

— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) December 26, 2025

The Phillies haven't yet confirmed the signing, though they typically will release a mass list of non-roster invitees at some point in January. Nothing has been said to indicate that the Phillies haven't come to terms with the 29-year-old lefty. 

Just from a baseball sense, Cabrera will be worth watching. While he split last season with four teams — the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins — he's a left-handed arm that's made over 300 appearances in his MLB career. The Phillies traded Matt Strahm to the Kansas City Royals earlier this month, putting quite a bit of pressure on José Alvarado and Tanner Banks as the two remaining lefties in the bullpen. Yes, they also acquired Kyle Backhus in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but even if Cabrera doesn't crack the Opening Day roster, he could play a role for the Phillies at some point in 2026 if he agrees to open the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and an injury or something else unforeseen sidelines Alvarado or Banks. 

But the reason all writers who cover the team will likely race to Cabrera's locker when pitchers and catchers report isn't because he could provide left-handed bullpen depth. It's because if he were to make an impact for the 2026 Phillies, it would be a remarkable turn of events considering how he landed on the radar of most who follow the club half a decade earlier. 

In a relief appearance for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Phillies on April 28, 2021, Cabrera hit Harper and Didi Gregorius in back-to-back at-bats, leading to the ejection of then-manager Joe Girardi. Cabrera clearly had no intent to hit either, but it nonetheless created a scary situation, particularly in the case of Harper, who was hit with a 97 mph fastball near his left eye: 

Amazingly, Harper avoided a major injury to his orbital bone or anywhere on his face. He would later wind up on the injured list with a left wrist injury, which he initially sustained when the ball deflected off of his face on Cabrera's errant pitch. 

Still, Harper demonstrated class towards Cabrera in a way that many others hit in the face by a 97 mph pitch probably wouldn't have. 

Phillies Nation's Destiny Lugardo noted at the time that Harper actually went out of his way to text Cabrera once the dust settled, a move that impressed then-Cardinals manager Mike Shildt.  

“You want to talk about a first-class move,” Shildt said on Harper’s text to Cabrera. “Look, the guy is an excellent player. He’s got a trajectory that puts him in a pretty special place after this career, which is still going to be a long one.

“Whoever is a fan of Bryce Harper, or whoever has children that are fans of Bryce Harper, support that guy because what he sent over in a message today was completely a class act. He wanted to make sure that Génesis knew that he was aware it was unintentional and that if he needed to talk and make sure he was OK mentally about what took place, then he was free to have the conversation with him. He had empathy for the guy that hit him, so a lot of respect for Bryce Harper and a lot of respect for the kind of player he is, but even more respect now for the way he handled a tough situation.”

Bryce Harper says he’s OK. pic.twitter.com/je1tx7fkVW

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) April 29, 2021

Harper would go on to win NL MVP that season, with the staggering 1.188 second-half OPS he posted enough to overcome the fact that the wrist injury limited him to 141 games. 

Now, five years later, as Harper tries to prove he can still perform at an MVP level, Cabrera will be in camp, hoping to become teammates with the man he once accidentally drilled in the face. That would be quite the story. 

The Nuggets

• It feels like there has to be a resolution on Don Mattingly soon, right? Dave Dombrowski said on Dec. 8 that the Phillies had "mutual interest" in the six-time All-Star becoming Rob Thomson's bench coach. Putting together a contract for him to become the next bench coach shouldn't be an overly complicated process. In the absence of any updates, we're left to speculate on what's going on. The guess here is Mattingly, 64, is still deciding if he wants to commit to it. If Mattingly hasn't become the Phillies bench coach by the first week of 2026, they may have to consider other options. 

• Every Jan. 1, I publish my first Opening Day lineup projection. While I would still be pretty surprised if J.T. Realmuto isn't re-signed by the Phillies, as things stand right now, Rafael Marchán is going to be the starting catcher in projection 1.0. 

• Something I'm monitoring for the 2026 season is whether the Phillies will wear powder blue on the road more often now that they did it for the NLDS. Personally, I like having your primary road jersey be gray, but the Phillies could definitely use a road alternate. The problem with the powder blues is they are an entirely different template than the current Phillies uniforms. When the Phillies used to wear red tops on getaway days, all they had to travel with was a second set of jerseys. With powder blues, you have to bring multiple sets of jerseys, pants, hats, socks, arm sleeves, cleats, etc. Perhaps a compromise could be that the Phillies have certain road trips that are gray, and others that are powder blue. 

Surprise! Phillies will wear powder blue jerseys for NLDS Game 3 🥶

📝: @TimKellySports https://t.co/30whurmCEM

— OnPattison (@OnPattison) October 8, 2025

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