Suarez On The Way Back To Phillies

Clearly, the Philadelphia Phillies need Ranger Suarez in the rotation as soon as possible.

Suarez, who is recovering from soreness in his left forearm, threw between 30 and 35 pitches in a bullpen session on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

The left-hander “looked outstanding,” according to manager Rob Thomson.

Suarez is scheduled to throw another bullpen session Friday in Cincinnati. If that goes well, Suarez will move on to live batting practice sometime next week.

“We're looking at 45 to 50 pitches (and) an up-down,” Thomson said. “After that, we'll figure it out. If he comes out of that fine, he'll progress to batting practice."

Though a magnetic resonance imaging exam in late March showed no structural damage, the Phillies have been cautious with Suarez.

The Phillies had originally hoped to have Suarez available by Opening Day, but obviously that timeline has been pushed back.

It’s unclear when Suarez will be able to don a Phillies uniform again.

With their early season struggles, they have to hope it’s sooner rather than later.

In the regular season in 2022, Suárez went 10-7 with a 3.65 ERA.

In the playoffs, he went 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA and one huge save in the National League Championship Series.

The Phillies need him desperately if they want to make another deep postseason run.