ATLANTA — Big doings in the Phillies’ rotation, which is off to an impressive start despite missing one of its members.

Ranger Suarez, recovering from a back injury, was supposed to throw a simulated game on Thursday but feels good enough to skip that step. He’ll instead begin a rehab assignment with a start Thursday in Clearwater. Suarez will throw three innings as long as his pitch count isn’t too high.

The next day, Andrew Painter will make his long-awaited return to the mound. Painter is scheduled for two innings and 35 pitches on Friday with Clearwater. The Phillies’ top prospect will spend most or all of the first half of the season in the minor leagues getting reacclimated to pitching regularly.

Painter will likely stay in the two-inning, 35-pitch range for a little while, not just because the Phillies want to exercise caution but to preserve as many innings as possible for him to help in the major leagues after the All-Star break.

Suarez pitched just five innings in spring training games with one other short outing on the back fields, so he’ll need a multi-start ramp-up before the Phillies activate him from the injured list. A pitcher’s rehab assignment can last up to 30 days and for Suarez, that clock will begin on Thursday.

In the interim, Taijuan Walker is filling his spot in the rotation. The Phillies could not have asked for a better first start from Walker after a brutal 2024 — he put just four Rockies on base over six scoreless innings in a win at home last week. The Braves at Truist Park will be a more challenging matchup for him on Wednesday night.

Sosa starts in left

Edmundo Sosa started in the outfield for the first time in his career Tuesday night, playing left field against Braves lefty Chris Sale.

Sosa is 11-for-20 (.550) on the season and the Phillies have been trying to think of ways to keep his bat in the lineup. They played him a good bit in left field during spring training and he also played an inning of center on Saturday against the Dodgers, staying in the game after pinch-hitting for Brandon Marsh in the eighth inning.

One little piece of additional versatility can go a long way. Sosa being able to stay in center at the end of Saturday’s game allowed manager Rob Thomson to save Johan Rojas in case he was needed as a pinch-runner for Nick Castellanos or Alec Bohm. It didn’t matter that day, but it might matter at some point over the 162-game grind.