Phillies News: Spring training opens up, players headed to WBC, more
By Eric Cole
Spring training has finally begun for the Philadelphia Phillies. Our long nightmare is finally over. While pitchers and catchers have their first official workout on Thursday, plenty of players had already reported to camp and did some informal work — including Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Rhys Hoskins. Coming off a World Series appearance, followed by the acquisition of Trea Turner, it is fair to call the early mood in camp as "hungry."
More Phillies News
A stretch of spring training will look a little weird because the Phillies have several players playing in the World Baseball Classic. Realmuto, Schwarber, and Turner will play for Team USA, while others will play for international squads — including Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker, and José Alvarado.
As spring training opens, it is important to look at the big picture. Our friends over at The Good Phight put together an interesting list of seven storylines for the Phillies heading into spring training. Andrew Painter features prominently, as he should.
MLB News
Elsewhere in the league, the New York Yankees got some bad news. Frankie Montas was expected to be an important part of the Yankees' 2023 rotation, but his season is in jeopardy, as he needs arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Montas' shoulder has bothered him for a while, and he wasn't expected to start the season on time, but now there is a real chance he could miss the entire season.
Another pitcher already dealing with injury issues is former New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom. The Texas Rangers' high-profile offseason acquisition is being held back a few days because he experienced tightness in his side during a bullpen session. It currently sounds like a precautionary thing, but as we have seen in the past, any deGrom injury can quickly spiral into lengthy absences, so this is worth keeping an eye on.