The Philadelphia Phillies won’t roll out the full force of their rotation to begin the 2025 MLB season.
Phillies: Ranger Suarez sidelined for the beginning of 2025
According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, Phillies All-Star Ranger Suarez will be sidelined to begin the campaign (h/t Philadelphia Phillies on SI’s Cameron Zunkel):
“Rob Thomson said on the TV broadcast that Ranger Suárez will start the season on the IL,” Zolecki reported. “Taijuan Walker will be the No. 5 starter. He will start the sixth game of the season.”
Further, the Phillies anticipate that their talented hurler will only miss 2-3 starts. That would put him in line to debut as soon as Philadelphia’s three-game series against the Atlanta Braves beginning on April 8, or the tail end of their set against the St. Louis Cardinals afterward.
Suarez’s injury woes continue ahead of pivotal season
Injuries derailed Suarez’s strong 2024 campaign. They are doing the same this time around. The 29-year-old went down with a sore back on March 15 after days of pain.
Suarez pitched in two games, one of which he started, for Philadelphia in Spring Training this year. The seven-year veteran earned a pristine 1.80 ERA along with four strikeouts in five innings of work.
Now, he’ll look to get healthy as the Phillies embark on another quest to capture an elusive World Series. In turn, Philadelphia will hope that Suarez’s 3.46 ERA, as well as his 145 strikeouts from 2024, carries over into 2025.
