The Phillies have announced that Ranger Suarez has been activated from the 15-day injured list and will start today’s game against the Royals. Yesterday, left-hander Tyler Gilbert was sent to Triple-A in preparation for Suarez’s return.
Suarez’s last appearance was over a month ago on July 22, when he gave up three runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 7-2 loss to the Twins. That marked his fourth consecutive difficult start, as he was clearly struggling to pitch through back pain. After skipping the All-Star Game to rest, Suarez returned but still had a shaky outing against Minnesota, leading to his placement on the IL for a more thorough recovery.
Having established himself as a reliable part of Philadelphia’s rotation in 2022-23, Suarez took a step towards becoming an ace by posting a 1.83 ERA over his first 16 starts and 98 1/3 innings in the 2024 season. Despite his recent struggles increasing his ERA to 2.87 over 119 1/3 innings, Suarez’s overall performance remains impressive, including a 52.3% groundball rate, a 5.6% walk rate, and strong soft-contact statistics. Although more of a contact pitcher than a strikeout specialist, his 24.1% strikeout rate is still above league average, ranking in the 62nd percentile.
Suarez’s performance has mirrored the Phillies’ season, as the team has also faced recent challenges after an excellent first three months. Since July 1, Philadelphia has gone 19-25, allowing the Braves to close within five games of the Phillies’ lead in the NL East. While a five-game lead remains solid as of August 24, the Phillies are counting on a healthy and effective Suarez to help them regain their form during the pennant race and push into October.
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