Everyone knew a move was coming.
We all knew that the Philadelphia Phillies would be activating left-hander Ranger Suárez from the injured list ahead of the series finale with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. We've known for days, that was never going to be a big surprise.
The more surprising move is who the Phillies decided to sacrifice in their first roster crunch of the 2025 season. It's remarkable that we're over one month in and the Phillies have only used 13 pitchers — the same 13 they came into the season with (subscription required), as noted by The Athletic's Matt Gelb. It's almost unheard of in Major League Baseball these days.
But it happened.
Phillies make surprising sacrifice in roster crunch as Ranger Suárez returns from IL
With Suárez returning healthy from the 15-day IL after experiencing back soreness during spring training, the Phillies had to make a tough decision about who would be moved aside to make room on the active roster. Corresponding with the Phillies announcing that Suárez was being activated, they surprisingly placed right-hander José Ruiz on the 15-day IL with neck spasms.
No matter who the Phillies landed on, it was going to be a surprise. Nobody around the team was really sure who the sacrificial lamb would be in the days leading up to Saturday’s announcement.
There were plenty of candidates to be cut from the 26-man roster, especially with the bullpen underperforming through much of April. The other possible options included left-hander Tanner Banks and right-handers Orion Kerkering, Carlos Hernández.
But Ruiz is the one unlucky bullpen arm “forced out” in a numbers game this time around. He has appeared in 12 games this season, with a 0-0 record, a 4.76 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP with 11 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings.
Once healthy, Ruiz will head to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to stay ready for the next opportunity in the big league bullpen.
Regardless of who the Phillies had to ship out, the move is well worth making because it means getting Suárez back in what is already one of the best and deepest rotations in MLB. The 29-year-old will make his season debut on Sunday and the Phillies will hope he looks like the dominant pitcher that was an early Cy Young favorite through the first three months of last season.
Through his first 16 starts of 2024, the career Phillie put up some ridiculous numbers. He went 10-2 with a 1.83 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, with 99 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 98 1/3 innings. The run included 11 quality starts and a complete game, seven-hit shutout on April 16 against the Colorado Rockies.
Suárez's return from the IL also shuffles right-hander Taijuan Walker out of the rotation and into the bullpen. Walker gave the Phillies what they had hoped for as a fifth-starter while filling in for Suárez. The veteran redeemed himself in Phillies fans' eyes after a disastrous 2024 campaign. Despite a 1-3 record, Walker carried an impressive 2.54 ERA through his six starts. Now we will to see if he can pitch as effectively out of the bullpen.