Suarez Returns for Philadelphia Phillies Road Western Road Trip

Left-handed Ranger Suarez makes his return to the Philadelphia Phillies' rotation as they embark on their road trip.

There's been joy through the pitching staff of the Philadelphia Phillies are getting Ranger Suarez back in the rotation off the 15-day injured list. 

It's been a long stint without him. 

As a refresher, the last time Suarez took the mound, it was Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. He threw five scoreless innings against the Houston Astros. In 2022, he made 29 starts and fired 155,1 innings with a 3.65 ERA and 2.3 fWAR. 

He was GOOD, make no mistake. When he was pitching, Philadelphia went 17-12 (.586) in his outings. Many were hopeful that 2023 would prove to be the same for the 27-year-old.

Until they lost him. 

Suarez missed every game in April due to an elbow injury he sustained while gearing up for the World Baseball Classic. He's been working his way back and part of that was his rehab stint first with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils and then with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. 

The lefty was slated to pitch four innings or 65 pitches, whichever came first for him. Instead, he went five innings on 48 pitches, a man clearly built for the new era of the pitch clock. He was going to play one more game on his rehab assignment. 

Philadelphia decided to change that plan.

The Phillies need him back, especially given that they're heading to one of the least forgiving road environments in Colorado. Suarez is the type of pitcher that can get the ball off quickly and in the age of pitch clock violations, he's a smart man to have in your rotation.

Suarez will replace Matt Strahm, who was placed back in the bullpen due to workload concerns. The much-needed jolt to the rotation will also be a double-edged sword: it might expose the weakest links. 

But for the Phillies bullpen, the risk is worth the reward. 

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