A lot of attention has been given to the holes that the Philadelphia Phillies have to fill on their Major League roster, and rightfully so.

The team needs help in the outfield, a catcher to pair with J.T. Realmuto, starting pitching depth and a left-handed setup man to help bridge the gap to their star closer, Jhoan Duran. Infield depth is also going to potentially become a need for the Phillies.

Corner infielder Alec Bohm, second baseman Luis Arraez and utilityman Edmundo Sosa, who was the backup shortstop and filled in at third base when Arraez got hurt down the stretch, are all free agents. Along with the seven players who hit free agency on the Big League roster, Philadelphia had 21 players set to hit minor league free agency.

However, some of that organizational depth has started to be replenished, with the Phillies taking full advantage of a 40-man roster crunch the San Francisco Giants were figuring out. With the injured list disappearing, the Giants were projected to have 56 players on the 40-man roster.

Phillies claim Brett Harris & Shay Whitcomb from Giants

That led to a lot of transactions, which included having to waive infielders Brett Harris and Shay Whitcomb, both of whom landed with Philadelphia, which claimed them off waivers.

Harris hasn’t established himself in the Major Leagues, but carries some intrigue because of how productive he has been at the Triple-A level. Over the last three seasons, he has 895 plate appearances, with a few rehab stints at the Complex League, and has produced a .286/.388/.469 slash line.

He has strong walk and strikeout rates at 12.5% and 18.1% and has an above-average wRC+ of 109.

However, he is out of options, which means sticking around with the Phillies will be a challenge. If the need to open roster spots comes up, he could be one of the players on the chopping block. With experience playing all four infield positions as a pro, he could be viewed as a cheap alternative to Sosa if he isn’t brought back.

Phillies Claim Brett Harris, Shay Whitcomb https://t.co/YaY0pjS6r7 pic.twitter.com/gpEbW75A44

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) November 2, 2026

Whitcomb, on the other hand, does have an option remaining, so him sticking around is a lot easier to envision. He landed with the Giants on waivers from the Houston Astros near the end of the 2026 season.

Similar to Harris, he hasn’t quite figured out Major League pitching yet, but the sample size is small with 89 games played. In 2024 and 2025 at the Triple-A level, he showed plenty of promise with a 128 wC+, 50 home runs and 42 stolen bases with a healthy 11.1% walk rate. His .280/.369/.520 slash line was excellent.

Both of those claims make a lot of sense for the franchise at this point in the offseason. It is free fliers on players who have performed at the highest minor league level but have yet to find their footing in the Big Leagues.

At the very least, the Phillies have improved the infield depth in their organization in case help is needed down the road.