July 11, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
The Phillies will have to wait another week before getting another Zack Wheeler start.
Ahead of the Phillies' finale against the Dodgers, manager Rob Thomson discussed some recovering Phillies players. Here's a quick look at the latest:
Zack Wheeler
After being pulled from his recent start — a five-inning gem that resulted in a win against Los Angeles — Wheeler will apparently be skipping his next start out of precaution, via Thomson. The skipper expects his back injury to be fine by next week.
Wheeler's next turn to pitch was expected to be Sunday against the Athletics. It seems likely that Ranger Suárez will pitch, along with Michael Mercado and newly promoted Tyler Phillips against the lowly A's. Thomson said Sunday will depend on how Friday and Saturday go.
The move might sound deflating on the surface but it's a really smart, responsible move that will guard against the Phillies losing their ace to any serious time. Wheeler will have at least nine days off (assuming he doesn't pitch in the All-Star Game next week), which is not a bad idea for a guy who will be relied upon to pitch well into October.
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J.T. Realmuto
The Phils catcher took batting practice Thursday and looked like his old self blasting baseballs into left field. When the Phillies go to the break, and seven of his teammates travel to Dallas for the Midsummer Classic, Realmuto will head to Clearwater to work toward a return immediately, or shortly after the breaks ends.
It will be very interesting to see if the Phillies stick with fan favorite but light-hitting backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, or send him down in favor of Rafael Marchán, who has hit .313 during his most recent stint in the majors. That decision will likely be coming next weekend.
One other note: Bryce Harper is back in the lineup hitting third after skipping Wednesday game due to some inflammation on one of his hands.
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