After an off day on Monday, the Philadelphia Phillies are back at it on Tuesday, as they open a six-game homestand at Citizens Bank Park. They begin with three against the NL East rival Washington Nationals before welcoming the Arizona Diamondbacks to town over the weekend.
Now that everyone's back at the ballpark, we finally got some clarity on the Phillies' current rotation situation. Originally, the plans for this week were murky beyond ace Zack Wheeler's start in the series opener. The media had a chance to speak with manager Rob Thomson before the game, so we have a better idea of how he'll be laying out his rotation — at least for the next few days.
Taijuan Walker is slated to start the series finale on Thursday. But it's Tuesday's starter that will surely raise some eyebrows.
Phillies News: Cristopher Sánchez making surprise return to rotation
The Phillies will throw left-hander Cristopher Sánchez back out on the mound on Wednesday, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The move comes as a bit of a surprise after his "injury scare" last week. Philadelphia held its collective breath when Sánchez exited his start against the New York Mets at Citi Field after only two innings last Tuesday night.
Diagnosed with "left forearm soreness/tightness," our minds immediately wandered to the worst-case scenario. A stint on the injured list seemed like the minimum. Luckily, Sánchez and the Phillies dodged a massive bullet, as he bounced back quickly.
He played catch on Friday in Chicago and threw a bullpen on Sunday. The burgeoning star reportedly felt fine after his sessions, which must be why the Phillies are putting him right back into the rotation. He's 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA and 11.28 K/9 in five starts this season.
Phillies News: Plans for Ranger Suárez's return still up in the air
As Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer shared, Ranger Suárez is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. However, no decision has been made — or at least made public — about his next step.
The left-hander could very well return to the rotation this weekend against the Diamondbacks. He has made four rehab starts, two in Low-A and two in Triple-A. After his most recent start on Sunday for Lehigh Valley, he looked more than ready to get back into MLB action. He threw 78 pitches in the outing. While the Phillies reportedly wanted to see him get to 90 before activating him, he will hopefully get the chance to reach that pitch count at Citizens Bank Park.
Suárez began the year on the 15-day IL after dealing with back soreness in spring training. The 29-year-old is entering a contract year, so is likely champing at the bit to get his season underway and show everyone that the first half of last year was no fluke.
Phillies News: Brandon Marsh to continue rehab after injury scare
If you haven't heard yet, outfielder Brandon Marsh left his rehab start on Sunday with cramping in his right hamstring, per MLB.com's Ryan Herrera. As reported by Gelb on Tuesday, Marsh is seeing the doctor, but the Phillies aren't concerned and reportedly expect him to resume his rehab stint in Triple-A this week.
Marsh landed on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain on April 20. The move came after he had scuffled through a horrible first-half of April. In 51 plate appearances before the injury, he had been slashing just .095/.220/.167 and was in the midst of an 0-for-31 slump.
He started a rehab assignment with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on April 24. In 14 plate appearances against Triple-A pitching, Marsh has managed just two hits for a .182 batting average, with six strikeouts and three walks.