Dylan

Moore

One imagines he’ll become a free agent. Moore got just 12 at-bats for the Phillies and went hitless before being DFA’d on Saturday.

The move frees up a spot on Philadelphia’s active roster to bring back catcher J.T. Realmuto from the injured list. The versatile 33-year-old went hitless in 12 at-bats and got into just 13 games for the Phillies this season. He would make sense as a bench option on a contending roster but his days as even a part-time role player are probably finished.

Moore opted out of his minor league deal with the Phillies, and rather than risk letting him go, the Phillies will add the versatile 33-year-old to their bench. He’ll likely see time against left-handers while playing multiple positions in 2026.

There’ll be a slew of these over the next few days — the Phillies can retain Moore by adding him to the 40-man roster in the next 48 hours, or he will become a free agent. It sure seems likely based on how the offseason has gone that the Phillies will add Moore to the 40-man and have him start the year as one of their bench bats, but this move forces their hand.

León will open the regular season back in the minors after going 6-for-26 with three RBI in 16 games this spring. The 27-year-old former top prospect was claimed off waivers from the Astros last November. His departure makes it abundantly clear that Dylan Moore and Otto Kemp will have bench roles with the Phillies to kick off the season.

Crawford is the favorite to start in center field for the Phillies on Opening Day. He’ll need a strong performance in Grapefruit League action to lock up the spot but he doesn’t have a ton of competition. The 22-year-old former first-round pick batted .334/.411/.452 with seven homers and 46 steals in 112 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this past season. He’ll make a fantasy impact in the stolen base department, but counting on anything beyond that in his first taste of the majors might be too optimistic, especially since he’s likely to bat at the bottom of the order. Here is the full lineup: Crawford (CF), Adolis García (RF), Edmundo Sosa (SS), Otto Kemp (LF), Bryan De La Cruz (DH), Rafael Marchán (C), Dylan Moore (2B), Christian Cairo (3B) and Keaton Anthony (1B).

Moore doesn’t get a guaranteed deal, which isn’t a surprise considering how much he struggled for most of 2025 with Seattle. The 33-year-old is a competent defender at multiple positions, however, and his ability to hit lefties and steal bases gives him a good chance of making the Philadelphia roster.

Moore, 33, has been one of the more verstatile players in baseball over the past few seasons with the ability to play essentially everywhere but catcher and pitcher. He’s also shown the ability to mash left-handed pitching, and it’s likely that is the role he’ll be tasked with in Philadelphia.

If the Red Sox don’t bring in a starting infielder, Moore would be an upgrade from Nate Eaton or switch-hitter Nick Sogard as a complement to Marcelo Mayer against lefties. Of course, if they did bring in a starter, then Romy Gonzalez, who currently projects as the starter at second base, would likely platoon with Mayer.

With Corey Seager landing on the injured list after undergoing an appendectomy on Thursday, Moore will get a chance to show the Rangers what he can do at the big league level. He’s expected to see the bulk of his action at second base for the Rangers with Josh Smith sliding over to shortstop to cover for Seager.