Ranger Suarez To Start Rehab Assignment On Thursday
Ranger Suarez (back) will start a minor-league rehab assignment and will pitch three innings for Low-A Clearwater on Thursday, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb. It will be Suarez's first game action since he was shut down in mid-March in spring training with lower-back stiffness. The 29-year-old southpaw will need at least several more rehab starts on the farm before he's a candidate to make his 2025 regular season debut in the big leagues, which will likely come in early May. The Venezuelan hurler also missed extensive time in 2024 with a back injury and wasn't as sharp when he returned, but he still finished with a serviceable 3.46 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 145:41 K:BB in 150 2/3 innings over his 27 starts. When healthy, Suarez is worth rostering in all fantasy leagues as a ground-ball pitcher, but his below-average 21.8% strikeout rate leaves little in the way of upside.
Source: The Athletic - Matt Gelb
Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Source: The Athletic - Matt Gelb
Ranger Suarez Not Sharp In Season Debut
Ranger Suarez made his 2025 season debut on Sunday at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks and got hit around quite a bit in this contest. Suarez only lasted 3 2/3 innings after giving up seven hits, seven earned runs on two walks, and six strikeouts. The encouraging sign here is that he did throw the 82 pitches, meaning he is fully stretched out for a starter workload. Still, the Diamondbacks' offense welcomed Suarez back to the MLB, and it was difficult for fantasy managers to see this level of production in his first start back from a back issue that was delaying his start to the 2025 campaign. The Phillies' offense got Suarez off the hook for the loss, as the game was back and forth all afternoon with the Diamondbacks holding on to win 11-9 in extra innings. Next up for Suarez is a road battle against the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend.
Source: ESPN
Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Source: ESPN
Ranger Suarez To Make Season Debut On Sunday
Ranger Suarez (back) is scheduled to make his season debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. This is good news for the Phillies as Suarez has been sidelined since spring training due to a back issue. He has been pitching well during his rehab outings, so the team feels Suarez is ready to return. It won't be an ideal matchup for Suarez against a tough D-Backs lineup. Despite that, Suarez is worth rostering in most standard 12-team formats right now. The assumption is that Taijuan Walker moves into the bullpen which is something he did during part of the season last year.
Source: Todd Zolecki
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Source: Todd Zolecki
Ranger Suarez Could Return This Weekend
Ranger Suarez (back) could possibly rejoin the rotation this weekend, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. That would line him up to make his season debut against the Diamondbacks. He has yet to pitch this season while recovering from a back injury, but will be looking to build on his breakout 2024 season, where he posted a 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 27 starts for Philadelphia. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball in the first half of 2024 before fading down the stretch, but he has enough potential to be worth adding in any fantasy league where he is available.
Source: Matt Gelb
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Source: Matt Gelb
Ranger Suarez Looks Sharp In Rehab Start
Ranger Suarez (back) looked strong on the mound during his most recent start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday. The southpaw tossed 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out eight batters. He threw 78 pitches in this one, so the Phillies will likely want to stretch him out a little more before returning to the big league rotation. There is no word of Suarez making another start, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he makes one more appearance before heading back to Philly. It's worth noting that Cristopher Sanchez (forearm) is banged up, so maybe Suarez replaces him in the rotation. Fantasy managers in need of pitching help should stash Suarez where available.
Source: Corey Seidman
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Source: Corey Seidman
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