Phillies’ pitching coach was right on the money about Ranger Suárez

The Philadelphia Phillies activated Ranger Suárez from the injured list to start Saturday's contest in Kansas City. The return of their left-hander was a welcome sight for the club as they had been forced to use a slew of Triple-A starters in his absence to fill out the rotation.

Suárez's return went about as well as anyone could have hoped. He tossed an efficient five innings, throwing just 72 pitches. In that span, the 29-year-old allowed four hits, surrendered just one free pass and gave up just one earned run while striking out six Royals hitters.

The start was encouraging but it also allowed for the Phillies' lefty to ease his way back into the rotation while not having to be overworked. The Phillies' coaching staff is being mindful in limiting his innings.

Phillies’ pitching coach Caleb Cotham was right on the money about Ranger Suárez

While Suárez has been a mainstay in the Phillies' pitching staff since 2021 — he has been pitching in some variety for the team since 2018 — he is on pace to eclipse his career high in innings pitched by season's end.

The highest innings total for the left-hander came in 2022 when he tossed 155 frames. Last season, he completed 125 innings.

Through Saturday's start, Suárez stands at 124 1/3 innings pitched this season. While the start to his campaign was tremendous, he floundered a bit heading into the All-Star break. He missed his first Midsummer Classic due to lower back tightness and was consequently placed on the IL after just one start post-All-Star break.

The additional time off to help his back recover may have been a blessing in disguise for his arm as well. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham commented on the added benefit of Suárez being shut down for about a month before his start on Saturday.

"The downtime is probably a blessing. He’s looked unbelievable," Cotham told Gelb. "A little bit of rest to reset is probably a good thing for when we’re going to hit the gas. We got to go. And he’s a huge part of why we’re here and if we’re going to do what we want to do.”

The Phillies' pitching staff — and starting rotation in particular — has been a massive part of the club's success. Reinserting Suárez into the mix is only an added plus. The club will rely on him to help steady the rotation and make a final push into October.

While it is likely that he will pass his career high in innings pitched, the extra rest was able to help manage that workload a bit. Now, should he pitch more than 155 innings, he will surpass his career high, but in a more gradual sense allowing him to stay healthy for the postseason.