The Phillies have been fortunate this offseason that with front-runners like Trey Turner and Taijuan Walker on the injured list, replacements like Edmundo Sosa and Spencer Turnbull have come in and performed well.
Injuries that may have seemed serious at first turned out to be relatively minor. That means Rob Thomson has been able to provide some good updates on left-back Ranger Suarez and left-back Brandon Marsh ahead of Tuesday night’s game.
Suarez, hit on the thumb by a 106 mph line drive in his last start against the Cardinals on Saturday night, played in the outfield and hit the bullpen Wednesday.
“Then we’ll check,” said the manager. “Sounds good so far. Thanks. Because that could be pretty bad.”
Thomson did not rule out the possibility that Suarez, who is 9-1 with a 1.70 earned run average, will be cleared to play Wednesday night before the team flies to London. “It just depends on how the bullpen goes. If it’s really sharp, really clean, if it’s normal, we can make a call right away,” he said.
Marsh, who started the injury bug at second base after a doubleheader against the Cardinals on Sunday night, has only a minor hamstring strain. When asked if he could score a regular 1-4 balance, Thompson smiled.
“Half, if there is such a thing,” he said. That puts Gear on the 10-day injured list as likely to be activated as soon as June 13 when the Phillies play the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Meanwhile, while there is no official timetable for Turner’s return, Thompson is optimistic. “I think we’re pretty close (to the original six-week projection). He’s coming along really well,” the manager said.
That means Turner hit .343 when he strained his hamstring on May 3 and could rejoin the lineup in mid-June.
Time will tell
Asked if he was reevaluating the status of No. 5 starter Taijuan Walker, Rob Thompson declined. “We’re not there yet.”
why not? Because I believe in him.
In seven starts this season, Walker has a 5.73 earned run average. His last two trips were particularly troubling. Opponents are hitting .304 against him with an .887 OPS and his ERA is 7.36. But he’s also in the second season of a four-year, $72 million contract.
Thomson said any decision would ultimately be based on performance. “No doubt,” he said. But I believe it. He should order better. And hopefully, along the way, he gets some velo. We saw it start a couple of years ago and now it’s back. I’m sure it will get there. But he has to command the baseball, keep it and get separation.
Walker’s next start is scheduled for Sunday against the Mets in London.
Next
RHP Aaron Nola (7-2, 3.03) starts the 4:05 pm series finale against the Brewers on Thursday. Milwaukee, which used the opener in the first two games, did not announce its start.