With the Philadelphia Phillies struggling mightily of late, having lost seven of their past eight and posting a 4-12 record since the All-Star break, they were looking forward to getting back key rotation piece Ranger Suárez this coming weekend to help the club turn around its fortunes.
Unfortunately, the most recent update on the 28-year-old left-hander is undoubtedly discouraging — Suárez's return timeline has now been pushed back.
Phillies provide discouraging Ranger Suárez IL update
Initially, after going on the 15-day injured list on July 24, Phillies manager Rob Thomson indicated that there was a good possibility that Suárez would rejoin the team for the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks this upcoming weekend. However, he's now expected to make his return during the homestand following the Phillies’ West Coast trip.
It certainly makes sense to give Suárez some extra time to recover. After all, it's better to be safe than sorry, as this was the second back issue that Suárez has had to deal with this season. Previously, he had to miss out on the first All-Star appearance of his career because of back spasms on the right side.
With his most recent back issue, the good news was that it was on the left side instead, ruling out a potentially troubling recurring issue. Nevertheless, Suárez’s extended absence, which will now go beyond the expected two-week timeline, is still a little cause for concern going forward.
Suárez had been a revelation for the Phillies this season after he began the year as perhaps the top pitcher in the entire league. He went a perfect 9-0 in his first 10 starts while compiling a stellar 1.36 ERA and striking out 68 in just 66 innings pitched.
However, with his recent back issues in the past few weeks, Suárez struggled in his last five starts, losing four of those games in the process. There’s no doubt now that his ailments likely played a role in his reduction in effectiveness since the end of June.
Hopefully, with the time off Suárez will have a chance to reset and come back in the dominant form that we had all witnessed earlier this season. One thing is for sure, the Phillies will need him to be at his best so that they can right the ship before it’s too late.