Where will Tommy Joseph play in 2018? (Brandon Apter/SportsTalkPhilly)
By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
On the same day that Mark Appel, a key piece in the December 2015 Ken Giles trade, announced that he is stepping away from the sport, there aren't great developments to pass along on Tommy Joseph, who once headlined a return for Hunter Pence. With Carlos Santana and Rhys Hoskins in the fold, Joseph doesn't appear to have a fit on the Phillies in 2018. The problem is, there don't seem to be other major league teams that think he fits on their roster either.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, "the Phillies have been unable to find a taker" for the 26-year-old. General manager Matt Klentak, by all accounts, ran into the same problem at last summer's non-waiver trade deadline.
Joseph, who hit 22 home runs and drove in 69 runs in 2017, is in a strange place. He's overqualified to be in Triple-A, though there isn't a fit for him on the major league roster in 2018. He's still cheap – he won't become eligible for arbitration until 2020 – but teams aren't lining up to trade for a player that graded out as the worst starting first baseman in the sport in 2017 and isn't capable of playing another position. So the possibility that he opens the season as a member of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs in 2018 is very real.
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“You don't know where you fit in,” Joseph told Matt Gelb of The Athletic. “You don't know what your role is. But those are all things that will evolve as spring training gets started and as we get deeper into March. … I'm fortunate enough to still have a job and still be a part of this organization that gave me the opportunity to play in the major leagues. I'll go out there and earn my keep.”
Prior to signing Santana, there was at least a thought that Joseph could serve as a DH in interleague games played in American League parks. But with Santana now at first base, Hoskins seems more likely to DH in games played in American League parks. The Phillies seem to have more to gain by getting both Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams in the lineup on those days (and Hoskins not in the field) than Joseph. In any event, the Phillies only play 10 games in American League parks in 2018, so who will DH in those games isn't a major concern.
Joseph would also be an extremely niche bench piece. It's nice in the postseason to have a bat that can change a game with one swing off the bench. Having that type of piece in April and May doesn't make a ton of sense. To carry a first baseman that doesn't play any other positions would be a curious move, especially when you have two first baseman already on the roster.
Injuries and underperformances happen. Even if Joseph starts the season at Triple-A, he's going to appear the major league level at some point in 2018. How many at-bats he gets and what team he will get those at-bats for is unclear.
