The Philadelphia Phillies are facing a difficult decision concerning one of their most talented pitchers.
Philadelphia is losing its grip on the National League’s No. 1 seed and hasn’t yet locked up the NL East, either.
The Phillies have lost seven of 10 and have been experiencing struggles that date back even further. Philadelphia would benefit greatly from the return of one of its premier starters, Ranger Suárez, but the problem is, Suárez’s back injury still isn’t fully healed.
Suárez has been out since June 22 with lower back soreness and tightness that continue to bother the 28-year-old lefty.
Suárez’s season has been a tale of two halves. He started the year performing at a heroic level that garnered him leading Cy Young candidate buzz, but his effectiveness started to drift in mid-June, culminating in his journey to the injured list.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller released a report on Tuesday that named Suárez as one of the league’s injured players who will have the biggest impact on the 2024 playoff races.
“Out since July 22 with lower back soreness, Suárez threw a bullpen Monday,” Miller said. “However, a return to the rotation in Arizona (Aug. 8-11) is unlikely. Back in mid-June when the Phillies were 25 games over .500 and running away with the best record in the National League, Ranger Suárez was the biggest reason why.”
“That all went out the window about seven weeks ago. … You can’t rush lower back injuries, but the Phillies need first-half-of-the-season Suárez back ASAP if only to provide some sort of slump-busting spark before it’s too late.”
Another report from MLB.com on Tuesday described Suárez going through setbacks during his recovery.
“(Suárez) woke up on July 26 feeling “tightness” … Suárez tried to push through the soreness during his bullpen session that day, but couldn’t,” the MLB.com report said.
The report also included a quote from Phillies manager Rob Thomson about how Philadelphia is handling Suárez’s injury.
“We’re going to be super cautious and give him a little rest,” Thomson said, per MLB.com. “Over the course of a full season, guys typically need some time off. I think he’ll come out of this and he’ll be stronger coming down the stretch.”
The Phillies certainly hope so.
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