The Phillies are still leaning toward opening the season with Rojas as their center fielder, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Rojas is hitting just .156/.174/.267 this spring after the Phillies asked him to make major adjustments to his swing. Despite the results, hitting coach Kevin Long said of Rojas that "I really, really like what I'm seeing from him." If the Phils ultimately decide Rojas would be best off going to the minors for a while, they would slide Brandon Marsh over to center field and put Whit Merrifield in left. However, it sounds like the club still prefers Rojas' elite defense in center, with the hope that he'll make strides at the plate. Perhaps telling is that Marsh has yet to play an inning this spring in center field after returning a week ago from knee surgery. The Phillies are likely to make a decision on their outfield later this week.