The few roster battles concluded rather predictably. Despite a poor spring, Juan Castro made the team as the utility infielder. Ross Gload was able to grab a spot on the bench despite much tastier treats floating around the waiver world.

The sole area of interest is pitching. Roster combatant Scott Mathieson was sent to minor league camp early once club officials determined he needed more time to work on his secondary stuff. With Romero and Lidge heading to the DL, that gave Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo, and Rule V pick David Herndon the chance to head north in the bullpen. Joe Blanton’s oblique injury opened the door for Kendrick in the rotation and Drew Carpenter in the pen. The final product looks like this:

C: Carlos Ruiz, Brian Schneider

1b: Ryan Howard, Ross Gload

2b: Chase Utley

SS: Jimmy Rollins, Juan Castro

3b: Placido Polanco, Greg Dobbs

LF: Raul Ibanez, Ben Francisco

CF: Shane Victorino

RF: Jayson Werth

SP: Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, JA Happ, Kyle Kendrick, Jaime Moyer

RP: Ryan Madson, Danys Baez, Antonio Bastardo, Jose Contreras, Chad Durbin, David Herndon, Drew Carpenter

Disappointingly, this roster is not as strong as it could be, but hopefully it gets the job done. We’re just a few short hours away from Roy Halladay Day!