Spring training is over, so we can finally start to look ahead to the regular season. The Philadelphia Phillies begin their 2025 campaign on the road in Washington on Thursday, but before we get there, we still have a few loose ends to tie up from training camp. Now that they’ve finalized their Opening Day roster, with Kody Clemens making the team per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia, there’s just some lingering injury news to deal with.
The Phillies’ camp was relatively undramatic this year, which is usually a good thing. They did suffer a few injuries along the way, however. The most notable injuries were to left-handers Matt Strahm and Ranger Suárez. Strahm missed some time with a shoulder issue, while Suárez will open the season on the 15-day IL with a sore back.
Matt Strahm’s ridiculous finger ‘injury’ won’t affect his Opening Day status
Strahm’s shoulder was deemed healthy, and he had resumed throwing last week. He was scheduled to be on track for Opening Day but suffered a rather ridiculous injury on Monday morning that kept him from making his final appearance of the spring. Strahm was lined up to pitch in Monday’s Grapefruit League finale against the Tampa Bay Rays but was scratched due to a left middle-finger injury he sustained while … packing, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.
Matt Strahm was supposed to pitch today, but he will not. The Phillies said he suffered a left middle fingernail injury while packing this morning. It is not believed to be serious. He’ll still be on the roster.
https://twitter.com/MattGelb/status/1904210135452434695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
That’s a funny and ridiculous injury to begin with, but the more details we learn, the funnier it gets. As Jayson Stark of The Athletic reported, Strahm suffered the hilarious “injury” while packing his daughter’s toys in a box. Apparently, he jammed the cardboard between this nail and the finger. No joke.
“I’m going to have to buy a house here so I don’t have to pack,” was Strahm’s solution to his freakish ailment, per Stark.
We have an update on Matt Strahm’s middle-finger injury
He said he was packing his daughter’s toys in a box and jammed the cardboard between his nail and finger
It’s his 2nd packing injury of the spring
“I’m going to have to buy a house here so I don’t have to pack,” he said
https://twitter.com/jaysonst/status/1904254891184517404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1904254891184517404%7Ctwgr%5Eca21938ad0a624e13cd6e75c07af1e31a7d65d9b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthatballsouttahere.com%2Fphillies-matt-strahm-ridiculous-new-injury-opening-day-roster-status
According to Gelb, Strahm will throw a bullpen on Tuesday in Philadelphia. He remains on track to be included on the Opening Day roster, much to the relief of Phillies fans. The 33-year-old is lined up to be an integral part of the late-inning, high-leverage bullpen mix this year.
Strahm only appeared in two games this spring before being shut down with a shoulder impingement, that led to inflammation and a bone bruise but no structural damage, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. He allowed six earned runs in 1 2/3 innings (32.40 ERA) while throwing with reduced velocity. Those are alarming numbers, but there’s nothing to be concerned about. If he’s indeed healthy and fully recovered from the shoulder problem (and the finger issue), we should see the same reliever we’re used to seeing in the regular season.
Strahm posted a stingy 1.87 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 62 2/3 innings in 2024, with a 33.3 percent strikeout rate and 4.6 percent walk rate. While it’s hard to see him pitching to those incredible numbers again, manager Rob Thomson will be turning to Strahm early and often in 2025.
Strahm’s also pitching for some added job security this season. His contract includes a $4.5 million team option for 2026, which automatically vests at $7.5 million if he throws 60 innings. Let’s hope he avoids any more injuries — both serious and ridiculous — and reaches that threshold.
