The Philadelphia Phillies are entering a pivotal stretch of games in the coming weeks, facing off against several potential postseason contenders. With the National League standings being highly competitive, any positive updates on the injury front are highly valued.
Fortunately, the Phillies received some encouraging news. While the team is in Atlanta playing the Braves, they announced on Tuesday that injured outfielder Austin Hays will be heading to Lehigh Valley to start a Triple-A rehab assignment with the IronPigs.
Phillies News: Austin Hays’ rehab, Ranger Suárez, Spencer Turnbull, Taijuan Walker
Hays was placed on the 10-day IL on August 9 (retroactive to August 8) due to a strained left hamstring. Although he provided a positive update last week, he wasn’t ready to be activated when first eligible on August 18. On August 17, Hays participated in Ranger Suárez’s simulated game, where he hit a home run and reportedly looked sharp.
In his first rehab game on Tuesday, Hays played five innings in left field and went 1-for-2 at the plate with a single, a walk, and a strikeout. He is expected to play a few more games in Triple-A before potentially rejoining the Phillies for their weekend series in Kansas City.
In more positive injury news, the Phillies announced on Tuesday that, barring any setbacks, Ranger Suárez is set to return from the injured list on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals, according to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Suárez has been on the 15-day IL since July 24 due to lower back soreness. He had experienced issues before the All-Star break, leading to a 6.61 ERA in his three July starts. The Phillies have been cautious with Suárez but are eager to have him back in the rotation.
There’s also encouraging news about Spencer Turnbull. Although the right-hander was moved to the 60-day IL during the weekend roster shuffle, this was purely a procedural move to free up a 40-man roster spot for multi-inning left-hander Tyler Gilbert, who replaced Tyler Phillips on the active roster.
Turnbull had recently encountered a setback in his recovery from a late-June lat strain, requiring him to take a few days off from throwing. However, according to MLB.com, he’s feeling much better and will resume throwing soon, if he hasn’t already. While Turnbull is eligible to come off the IL on August 27, that timeline now seems unlikely.
Taijuan Walker’s return to the rotation didn’t go as well as we would have liked
Taijuan Walker’s return to the Phillies’ rotation hasn’t gone as well as he or the team had hoped. Since being activated for the recent homestand, Walker’s two starts have resulted in losses for the Phillies, though he wasn’t solely at fault.
After nearly two months on the IL due to a finger blister issue, Walker hasn’t been able to provide the innings the Phillies need as the season progresses. The veteran right-hander pitched four innings against the Miami Marlins and 4 2/3 innings against the Nationals on Sunday, allowing a total of six runs on eight hits and six walks while striking out eight.
“Just getting comfortable, throwing the splitter a lot more,” Walker said after Sunday’s loss, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “I want to throw it down, I want to throw it under the zone. But I just have to trust that the splitter is back, it’s good and I can throw it up in the zone and get weak contact with it.”
The splitter, his go-to pitch, wasn’t effective on Sunday, generating only three whiffs on 17 swings, according to Zolecki. Walker remains hopeful it will work for him this season. Let’s hope he figures it out.
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