Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh placed on injured list due to hamstring strain
The Philadelphia Phillies placed outfielder Brandon Marsh on the injured list Sunday, three days after manager Rob Thomson revealed he twisted his right knee and was kept out of the team's series finale against San Francisco.
Marsh is on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 17, with a right hamstring strain, the team said.
The Phillies don't expect Marsh to be out long, as he will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. The plan is to get Marsh some minor league at-bats on a rehab assignment.
"He wasn't getting worse, but he just wasn't improving," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said prior to Sunday's game. "He can't run at 100%. He'll keep running and do his drill work. Once he can run 100%, we'll give him some at bats."
To fill the 26-man roster spot left vacant by Marsh, the Phillies called up outfielder Cal Stevenson from AAA Lehigh Valley.
With Marsh on the mend, Johan Rojas is getting his fifth straight start in center field as the Phillies wrap up their their three-game series against the Miami Marlins. Since Marsh has been sidelined, Rojas is 6-for-13 (.462) with two doubles and five runs scored. Rojas is hitting .357 vs. right-handed pitchers and .333 vs. left-handed pitchers this season, while also hitting .400 with runners in scoring position.
"He's playing pretty good," Thomson said. "He's making contact, yea he struck out three times the other night, but he's making contact. He's bunting at the right time. He's using the entire field. Yea, he's playing good."
Marsh's injury is behind the right knee, toward the back near the hamstring. Thomson said the injury is "as mild as it can be." Marsh is hitless in his last 31 at-bats and hasn't recorded a hit since March 30.
First pitch at Citizens Bank Park is set for 1:35 p.m.
After 21 games, the Phillies are currently sitting at number two in the NL East behind their upcoming series opponents, the New York Mets.
Jordan Romano's status
The rough start to the season got worse for Romano on Saturday, as the Phillies reliever allowed six runs on six hits, including two home runs, in 2/3rd of an inning in Saturday's win over the Marlins. Romano's ERA blossomed to 15.26 after tossing three scoreless appearances in his last three games pitched.
"You dig into it and you think you got it," Thomson said. "You think you figured something out. So we gotta find out...I still have confidence in him. You have to. He has good stuff."
Thomson entertained the idea of lower-leverage situations for Romano for the time being, but also said it depends on who's available in the bullpen. Is there a bullpen issue brewing?
The Phillies bullpen ERA is 5.54 three weeks into the season, 28th in the majors. The home runs per nine innings is 1.35 (25th in MLB) and walks per nine innings are 3.65 (14th). Even with the slow start, Thomson is preaching patience.
"It's still a small sample size," Thomson said. "I know we have really good arms, really good stuff out there. We just gotta keep working at it."
Phillies starting lineup today
- Bryson Stott, second base
- Trea Turner, shortstop
- Bryce Harper, first base
- Kyle Schwarber , designated hitter
- Nick Castellanos, right field
- Max Kepler, left field
- Alec Bohm, third base
- Johan Rojas, center field
- Rafael Marchán, catcher
