Ranger Suárez's 'potential' return date can't come soon enough

The Philadelphia Phillies' starting rotation took a big step in the right direction on Tuesday when right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker was activated from the 15-day IL. He made his first start since suffering inflammation in his right index finger on June 22. The return of Walker comes at a time where the Phillies have been plagued by a series of untimely injuries and lackluster play on the field.

The Phillies rotation has been in constant flux since the middle of June, with Walker, Spencer Turnbull and Ranger Suárez all missing considerable time due to injuries. While the Phillies have received mixed results from a trio of young hurlers tasked with picking up the slack in the absence of Walker, Turnbull, and Suárez, manager Rob Thomson has expressed hope in using a six-man rotation at some point during the month of August.

Those plans seem to be close to fruition, as the return of Walker and some promising news regarding the health of Suárez have given the Phillies a target date to circle on the calendar as they move closer to having a healthy rotation for the first time all season.

Ranger Suárez's 'potential' return date can't come soon enough

Suárez was on a Cy Young pace before injuries and stretch of poor starts started to make the Phillies a bit nervous around the All-Star break. After skipping a start with lower back soreness, Suárez returned with a mediocre 5 1/3 inning performance against the Minnesota Twins on July 22, allowing seven hits and three earned runs on 79 pitches. The Phillies placed Suárez on the 15-day IL with a recurrence of back soreness after the game.

Things seem to be trending in the right direction for Suárez, as he fared well in two innings of a simulated game before the Phillies took on the Marlins on Tuesday. According to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Suárez looks likely to either pitch another simulated game on Sunday or make his way to Triple-A Lehigh Valley for a rehab start.

As reported by Lauber, the current timetable would seem to line Suárez up to pitch in one of the three games on the road against the Kansas City Royals from Aug. 23-25. Considering the rough four-inning start from Walker on Tuesday night, Phillies fans are hoping to see a healthy and productive return from the stoic left-hander.

It's not clear if the Phillies will still use a six-man rotation when Suárez is activated, but all signs point to a rotation of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, Taijuan Walker, Tyler Phillips, and Suárez taking the mound for the Phillies over the last month and a half of the season.