With the Phillies back in town, manager Rob Thomson addressed a flurry of pitching-related questions.
Cristopher Sánchez is scheduled to start against the Nationals, followed by Taijuan Walker. Beyond that, the Phillies haven’t finalized their rotation plans.
Sánchez, who left his previous outing against the Mets after just two innings due to tightness in his left forearm, will only be delayed by one day from his usual turn.
“He’s been fine,” Thomson said. “He came in the next day feeling good and wanted to throw, but we held him back just to be cautious.”
The Phillies are still evaluating when Ranger Suárez will rejoin the rotation. Suárez, sidelined early this season with lower back tightness, has made four rehab starts. His latest outing came Sunday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he threw 78 pitches over 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run and striking out eight. Across stints with Clearwater and Lehigh Valley, Suárez has thrown 16 2/3 innings and posted a 1.08 ERA.
When asked if Suárez needs another rehab appearance, Thomson responded, “Don’t know yet. He’ll throw a bullpen session tomorrow and then we’ll decide.”
There’s also been internal discussion about implementing a six-man rotation once Suárez returns.
“Possibly,” Thomson said. “We’re still working through that.”
He noted the effect such a move would have on the bullpen, which has been struggling. Entering Tuesday, the Phillies ranked 29th in MLB with a 5.28 bullpen ERA and were tied for the league lead with seven blown saves.
“If you go to six starters, you lose a bullpen arm,” Thomson explained. “You need flexibility with your relievers, and we’re always weighing all those factors.”
As for top prospect Andrew Painter, Thomson mentioned he expected the right-hander to move up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley for his next rehab outing. However, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, Painter will remain with Clearwater for now, though he could be promoted to a higher affiliate in May. He’s scheduled to pitch four innings and throw about 60 pitches on Thursday.
Thomson previously said the team hopes Painter logs around 120–130 innings this season, with a potential major league debut projected for midsummer at the earliest.
In his most recent start, Painter tossed three scoreless innings. So far with Clearwater, he has allowed two runs over 7 1/3 innings, striking out 10 and walking one, good for a 2.45 ERA.
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