The All-Star break came at a good time for the Philadelphia Phillies. Prior to the Midsummer Classic, the club had dropped two games to the Oakland Athletics and a few key players were banged up. The extended time off has given the players time to recover, and despite a tough loss on Friday night, the club has given good news on two of its starting pitchers.
When will Phillies aces Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suárez be back on the mound?
Both Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suárez suffered back pain prior to the All-Star break. The two were selected as 2024 All-Stars, but neither were able to pitch in the star-studded game. Neither player was expected to go on the injured list, and it seems that will remain the case as the club provided good news on two of their top starting pitchers.
Manager Rob Thomson gave an update on his pitchers before the team's game in Pittsburgh on Friday. Both Wheeler and Suárez threw from 120 feet before the Phillies' loss to the Pirates. Suárez also threw a flat-ground session, whereas Wheeler has not gotten to that point yet. The left-handed Suárez also threw on Wednesday and Thursday and reported that he feels good, per Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The plan is to get both pitchers back into the rotation during the upcoming series in Minnesota against the Twins.
While injury news is never welcome, the timing really couldn't have been better for the Phillies. The All-Star break gave both pitchers time to get healthy for what should be an exciting second half of the season and the postseason.
Wheeler missed his final start before the All-Star break, and while Suárez didn't miss an outing, limiting his innings may be something the team looks into in the second half. The most innings the left-hander has thrown in a season is 155 1/3. The 28-year-old is already at 114 innings to this point.
Suárez struggled a bit heading into the break, allowing nine earned runs over his last two starts. Perhaps his back spasms were bothering him earlier than reported, or the innings are catching up to him. Hopefully, after some time off, he'll be healthy and poised to continue his dominance in the second half.
Getting both Wheeler and Suárez back will be good for the Phillies rotation. Pitching has been a strength of the club all season long and both pitchers are big reasons for that. To help keep them healthy, the Phillies may deploy a six-man rotation for parts of the latter half of the season. The health and effectiveness of the rotation are paramount to this team's success heading into what should be their third straight postseason appearance.