Why Was Maton Left Off of the Phillies' NLDS Roster?

Since his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in April 2021, Nick Maton has acted as a spark plug for the club.

Maton is a clubhouse favorite and brings an infectious energy to the team. Not only that, but the 25-year-old comes through for the Phillies when he's needed most—hitting .308 with a .805 OPS in clutch situations.

So, that's why it came as a bit of surprise when Maton's name did not appear on the 26-man roster for the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.

Instead, Maton was swapped out for outfielder Dalton Guthrie, who made his debut on Sept. 6, and appeared in just 14 games for Philadelphia. 

Ahead of NLDS Game 1 on Tuesday afternoon, Phillies Manager Rob Thomson was asked about the decision to leave Maton, nicknamed "Wolfie," off of the roster for the best-of-five series.

"Just because of the fact that we can utilize [Guthrie] a little bit," said Thomson. He then noted that Atlanta chose to have only two left-handed relievers in their bullpen, and that he wanted to have a right-handed bat off of the bench in that situation, as Maton bats left.

"Although Nick has played very well in the outfield, Dalton has a little bit more experience out there, so we can defend late in games," Thomson continued. "So we thought in this series he was just a little bit better usage for us."

Thomson was just promoted to the Phillies' full-time manager through the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and managed a great NL Wild Card series against the St. Louis Cardinals. He will be anxious to see if this questionable decision pays off.

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