Phillies Injury Update: Brandon Marsh making spring training debut soon

The Philadelphia Phillies have been without Brandon Marsh since the beginning of spring training while the outfielder has been rehabbing his knee following a minor procedure on Feb. 9. Recent reports have indicated that Marsh has been slowly ramping up his baseball activities. Now, we might finally have an idea of when he might be ready to play in his first Grapefruit League game.

A recent report from Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia provided one of the most promising updates on Marsh since he began his rehab. Speaking with manager Rob Thomson, all signs point to Marsh possibly making his spring training debut at some point next week.

"He had five at-bats again today so he's had 29 at-bats, BP at-bats,” Thomson said, per Seidman. “Those aren't game at-bats but at least there's really good simulation there."

"(Sunday), I believe, he's going to DH in a player development intrasquad game so he gets some at-bats there and can actually run out of the box," added Thomson per Seidman.

Now at the four-week mark of his rehab, things seem to be trending in the right direction for Marsh, and perhaps the timing couldn't be better. Expected to be the everyday left fielder when the season begins, the continued struggles of youngster Johan Rojas could force the Phillies to slide Marsh back over to center if Rojas is sent to the minors to focus on his ability to hit advanced pitching.

Johan Rojas' struggles could force Marsh back to center field

Johan Rojas entered spring training with no guarantee of a roster spot when the Phillies break camp. Thomson and Dave Dombrowski have been consistent with the idea that being the Phillies' Opening Day centerfielder will have to be earned by Rojas this spring.

So far, the numbers are not in Rojas' favor. The 23-year-old defensive wizard is batting a disappointing .185 in eight games and 27 plate appearances. With only five hits and three RBI, Rojas has struck out seven times while drawing zero walks. At some point, this lack of production could cost him a roster spot.

The progress of Marsh's return from injury should be highlighted because if Rojas is indeed sent to Triple-A to begin the season, Marsh will likely start in center field, with offseason addition Whit Merrifield, Jake Cave, and Cristian Pache likely to take turns playing in left field.

There's still plenty of spring training baseball to play, but Johan Rojas will be under added pressure to turn things around before the Phillies break camp in late March.