May 4, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) reacts during the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports John Jones
Ranger Suárez is slated to throw four innings and/or 55 pitches in his second rehab for Single-A Clearwater Wednesday evening.
If all goes well, what will the next step be as the All-Star lefty works his way back from low back stiffness that has prevented him from making a start for the Phillies so far in 2025?
"He'll probably be here [Citizens Bank Park] tomorrow, so he can do a bullpen here and see the trainers and get our eyes on him," Rob Thomson said of Suárez Wednesday afternoon. "And then we'll see what day it is for his next start."
Presumably, Suárez will spend a few days in Philadelphia, because he's almost certainly not going to be throwing a bullpen tomorrow after starting Wednesday. And if all goes well, one would think his next start will come for a more local affiliate, either Double-A Reading or Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The IronPigs probably make more sense considering they'll be home next week, as opposed to Reading being in Maine to play the Portland Sea Dogs.
It's nice having Weston around#ironpigs #ironpigsbaseball pic.twitter.com/gBMnAVbpoZ
— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) April 15, 2025
Speaking of Lehigh Valley, Weston Wilson (strained left oblique) continues to rehab for the IronPigs after spending last week at Single-A Clearwater. The 30-year-old went 2-for-5 with a double and triple Tuesday, scoring three runs in a 15-9 win.
How far off is Wilson from potentially being ready to be activated? He's got 15 at-bats so far, and after missing much of the spring, Thomson said he envisions Wilson getting 40-50 at-bats before possibly being activated.
While the Phillies could use another right-handed bat, it's probably not a guarantee that Wilson — who has one minor-league option remaining — immediately joins the big league club when he's ready. The Phillies opened Wilson's 20-day rehab period up on April 8, and they'll need to decide at the conclusion of that whether to add him to the 26-man MLB roster or option him to Triple-A.
