The Philadelphia Phillies are preparing to open up the 2025 regular season on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. In the weeks and days leading up to Opening Day, the Phillies were concerned about the health of starting pitcher Ranger Suarez and reliever Matt Strahm.
Philadelphia won’t have Suarez for the start of the season as he’ll be on the injured list due to lower back soreness. As for Strahm, the veteran relief pitcher has been dealing with a sore left shoulder and was expected to pitch in the Phillies’ Spring Training finale on Monday.
However, the veteran relief pitcher suffered a minor injury that will force him to miss the final Grapefruit game. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies said Strahm sustained a left middle fingernail injury while packing this morning.
Matt Strahm was supposed to pitch today, but he will not. The Phillies said he suffered a left middle fingernail injury while packing this morning. It is not believed to be serious. He'll still be on the roster.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) March 24, 2025
Gelb adds that Strahm’s injury is not believed to be serious and he’ll still be on the roster. As you can imagine, Phillies fans on social media could not believe the injury, but it's good to know he’ll be on the roster with Opening Day on the horizon.
The southpaw is coming off a terrific 2024 season that saw Strahm get named to his first MLB All-Star Game. The 33-year-old reliever had a 6-2 record and a 1.87 ERA in 66 appearances. He also racked up 79 strikeouts, allowing 13 earned runs (four home runs) and 11 walks in 66.2 innings pitched.
In the first half last season, Strahm had a 4-1 record, a 1.49 ERA, and held opponents to a .188 average at the plate across 39 appearances. Then in the second half, the vet had a 2.39 ERA, slightly higher than what he did in the first half of the season. However, Strahm held opponents to a .135 average in 27 games.
The Phillies hope Strahm can once again pitch at an All-Star level as it will go a long way in helping this team reach its ultimate goal. Philadelphia has a lot of firepower in its bullpen and could be one of the best units in the majors in 2025.