The excitement for Opening Day, on March 27 against the Washington Nationals, continues to grow as each day is closer to the first pitch. However, with the latest spring training news the excitement might have just turned to concern.
Fans know the importance this season brings as the core of the roster could be down to its final year together. One of the biggest obstacles in previous seasons has been untimely injuries.
An important year for future free agent Ranger Suárez, who enters his contract season, is off to a tough start. As The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber reported on Wednesday, Suárez is dealing with a “stiff back.” Phillies manager Rob Thomson mentions it is not as bad as last season but non no one knows yet if it is serious enough to miss time.
Suárez timeline: He threw 60ish pitches in an intrasquad last Saturday, then felt the back stiffen Sunday, Thomson said. The #Phillies ordered tests that showed it’s “not quite as bad” as last year, Thomson said. “The next 24-48 hours will tell us a lot.” https://t.co/rFJheMVIVQ
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Hopefully Ranger Suárez’s back injury doesn’t turn out to be as bad as last year
This organization and the fanbase are familiar with this from last season when Suárez got off to a fantastic start before dealing with a back injury that ended his Cy Young campaign with second-half struggles .
While Suárez has turned himself into a solid pitcher and a fan favorite with this organization, he continues to battle injury after injury. This does cause a lot of concern considering he couldn’t even reach Opening Day without an injury, and fans have seen this recipe before.
The biggest thing for this Phillies team in 2025 if the team wants to find success is health. A season ago, fans saw the lack of depth within the organization after Suárez and Spencer Turnbull dealt with injuries. The trade for Jesús Luzardo will help in the area of solidifying the fourth starter in the rotation.
Phillies’ options at fifth rotation spot if Ranger Suárez can’t go opening week
The Phillies will now turn to the final week of spring training to look into potential fifth-starter options if Suárez can’t go at the start of the season. The most likely option is Taijuan Walker who has not lived up to his contract. While reports were that the Phillies were excited with his velocity being up, it has not translated to success. He posts a 1-1 record with a 6.92 ERA in 13 innings with six strikeouts. He is coming off the worst season in his career with a 7.10 ERA a season ago and missed the postseason roster.
Outside of Walker, other options include Tyler Phillips who saw time in the majors a season ago but has also struggled this spring training, posting an 8.38 ERA allowing nine runs in 9 2/3 innings. In his eight games in 2024, he finished with a strong record at 4-1 but had a 6.87 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP.
The third option is Seth Johnson who the Phillies acquired in the trade for Gregory Soto at last year’s trade deadline. The Phillies have already optioned him to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on March 10 but he did get called up for a game last season. He only threw in two games before being sent down.
Kyle Tyler is a right-hander who has thrown the ball well this spring with an ERA of 0.00 allowing two unearned runs in his 7 2/3 innings of work. He was with the Miami Marlins in 2024, starting in seven games. He struggled in those seven starts and eight games with an ERA of 5.40 and opponents hit .301 off him.
The last option to look at is if the Phillies could consider moving offseason signee Joe Ross to fill a starting spot. Ross has started 86 of his 123 career games after being a starting pitcher when he first arrived in the league in 2015 with the Washington Nationals. A season ago with the Brewers, he started 10 of 25 appearances and could stay in that role if the Suárez injury is less serious like Thomson mentioned, and the Phillies need a quick filler for the fifth spot.
He won’t be ready for Opening Day, but of course prospect Andrew Painter could be an option later on in the season. The team may want to try a six-man rotation to take innings off of Suárez.
Regardless of the options, this is not an ideal situation for the Phillies in what could be a strong rotation, and one of the best in baseball if healthy. Suárez has dealt with back issues throughout his career and hopefully has learned to manage from the past to help with a quick recovery for the 2025 season.
