As the Philadelphia Phillies finish the opening month of the season, injuries aren’t something they can afford. Philadelphia has an 11-8 record heading into this weekend’s series with the Miami Marlins, and the mark is impressive considering the season-opening slumps by Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh and injuries to starter Ranger Suarez. But injuries to two more veterans have fans concerned as they enter a winnable matchup beginning on Friday.
That led to good news on Thursday night when manager Rob Thomson addressed the status of Marsh and Nick Castellanos. While both are on the mend, it appears the Phillies dodged a big bullet and should have each back in the lineup as soon as this weekend.
Phillies’ Brandon Marsh, Nick Castellanos Likely To Avoid Injured List
Thomson told reporters, including Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports that Nick Castellanos should be good to go for Friday’s series opener after leaving Thursday’s 6-4 win over the San Francisco Giants with left hip flexor tightness. The injury occurred when Castellanos tried to run out a double play ball in the bottom of the fifth inning and felt his hip tighten as he took the field for the top of the sixth inning.
The 33-year-old is one of the most productive players in the Phillies’ lineup, hitting .304/.360/.507 with three homers and 12 RBI in his first 19 games this season. If Castellanos is in the lineup as expected on Friday, it will extend his streak of regular-season games to 184, but he has shown indifference to that streak in the past.
The news was similar for Marsh, who was out of the lineup on Thursday after he tweaked his right knee during Wednesday’s loss to the Giants. Thomson said that Marsh is dealing with a strain behind his knee but doesn’t think the injury is a situation where he will land on the injured list.
Marsh has had a nightmare start to this season, hitting .095/.220/.167 with a home run and five RBI in 17 games, and is currently in a 0-for-31 slump. While taking him out of the lineup might give him a mental break, it’s a relief for the Phillies' outfield situation to have both veterans available.
The outfield has been a problem for Philadelphia as Marsh and Johan Rojas have struggled. Cal Stevenson is waiting in the minor leagues but has started the year by hitting .186 with a .647 OPS at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Weston Wilson is still rehabbing from an oblique injury in Spring Training, and Justin Crawford is still a ways away from earning the call to the majors.
Left field has also turned into a platoon for Philadelphia as they’ve tried to hide Max Kepler’s bat against left-handers. Edmundo Sosa has also seen time against southpaws, but the Phillies are scheduled to face three right-handers this weekend with Sandy Alcantara, Cal Quantrill, and Connor Gillispie taking the mound for Miami.
Overall, it’s good news for a Phillies team that is relatively healthy after the first month of the year and looks to bank some wins as they host the Marlins this weekend.