A few upbeat updates on injured Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Phillies have been fortunate this season to have players like Trea Turner and Taijuan Walker on the injured list, while replacements like Edmundo Sosa and Spencer Turnbull have stepped in and performed well.
They were also fortunate that injuries that initially seemed potentially serious turned out to be relatively minor. That meant Rob Thomson could provide positive updates on lefthander Ranger Suarez and leftfielder Brandon Marsh before Tuesday evening’s game.
Suarez, who was hit on the thumb of his pitching hand by a 105-mph line drive in his last start against the Cardinals on Saturday night, played catch in the outfield and will throw a bullpen on Wednesday.
“Then we’ll find out,” the manager said. “So far it looks good. Thank goodness, because that could have been really bad.”
Thomson did not rule out the possibility that Suarez, who is 9-1 with an average of 1.70, would be cleared to make his next start before the team flies to London on Wednesday evening. “It just depends on how the bullpen works. If it’s really sharp, really clean and looks normal, we can make a call right away,” he said.
Marsh, who began indicating an injury as soon as he got to second after a double play against the Cardinals on Sunday night, appears to have only a minor hamstring strain. When asked if he could rate it on the standard scale of 1 to 4, Thomson smiled.
“A half, if there is such a thing,” he said. That creates the possibility that Marsh, who is on the 10-day injured list, could be activated as early as June 13 when the Phillies play the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
While there is no official timetable for Turner’s return, Thomson is optimistic. “I think we’re pretty close to the original estimate of six weeks. He’s doing fine,” the manager said.
That would mean Turner, who was hitting .343 on May 3 when he strained his hamstring, could also rejoin the lineup sometime in mid-June.
TIME WILL TELL
When asked if he was reevaluating the status of No. 5 starter Taijuan Walker, Rob Thomson demurred. “We’re not there yet,” he said.
Why not? “Because I trust him.”
In seven starts this season, Walker has earned a 5.73 earned run average. His last two performances were particularly worrying. Opponents have hit .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 will ultimately be based on performance. “No doubt,” he said. ‘But I trust him. He needs to command better. And hopefully he gains some speed along the way. We saw it go up a few starts ago and now it has come back down. I’m sure he’ll get there. But he has to run the baseball, he has to control it and he has to get his split back.”
Walker’s next start is scheduled for Sunday against the Mets in London.
NEXT ONE
RHP Aaron Nola (7-2, 3.03) starts Thursday’s series finale against the Brewers at 4:05 p.m. Milwaukee, which used an opener in its first two games, has not yet announced its starter.
