Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper (3) celebrates after hitting a single against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning in Game 5 of the NLCS of the 2023 MLB playoffs at Chase Field on Oct. 21, 2023, in Phoenix, AZ. The Phillies beat the Diamondbacks 6-1, giving Philadelphia the overall lead of 3-2 in the NLCS playoffs.
The Phillies haven't worn their red jerseys for Spring Training or regular season since the 2023 season. So why are Phillies prospects wearing it in Friday's Spring Breakout Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates?
The answer, On Pattison is told, is that the red jerseys are the actual primary uniforms for Phillies minor-league Spring Training games. So this isn't an additional jersey being produced, it's the one minor leaguers already wear for their games.
Major League teams are bound by Nike's "4+1" rule. That means they can have four uniforms, and a fifth if it's a City Connect. Currently, all five of those spots are filled for the Phillies with pinstripes, road grays, alternate cream, powder blue throwbacks and City Connects.
The "4+1" rule applies to Spring Training as well. That's why the Phillies don't wear their St. Patrick's Day jerseys in Grapefruit League play anymore. And with the arrival of a City Connect uniform last year, the Phillies had to drop one of their five. The red tops — which had been their Spring Training jerseys and "getaway" day road alternates — were eliminated.
Phillies vice president of business affairs Howard Smith explained last April why the red ones were what the Phillies nixed.
“They made us commit to a 4+1,” Smith said. “So if you didn’t want to do it, like the Yankees aren’t doing it, they don’t have five uniforms. But if you have five uniforms, you’re gonna go with four base uniforms and City Connect.
“So we had our white pinstripes, not getting rid of that. Powder blues, fan-favorite … creams, another fan-favorite … always,” Smith said of the four uniforms the Phillies decided to keep. “The reds were our Spring Training uniform. We had only just started wearing them the last couple of years. I was disappointed, but we’re supporting MLB in the initiative, so it really wasn’t that big of a deal.”
The red tops were initially a home alternate jersey that the Phillies wore during weekday games at Citizens Bank Park in 2016 and 2017. They were shelved after two seasons, other than for Spring Training. In June of 2021 — with players looking to shake things up on the road once in a while — they were made an alternate for the final game of most road series.
Ultimately, this comes down to what Nike — who became the official uniform provider of MLB in 2020 — wants. Fanatics produces the uniforms, but Nike lends their branding. And while Majestic was seemingly able to produce an endless amount of MLB jerseys, Nike/Fanatics have capped teams at five.
If you want to learn more about when the Phillies wear each uniform, On Pattison has a tracker.
It can be difficult to keep track of the #Phillies uniform schedule. Fortunately, On Pattison has the definitive guide to when the Phillies wear each of their five current uniforms, along with the history of each look and other fun nuggets.
onpattison.com/news/2025/fe...
— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) February 28, 2025 at 12:03 PM
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