Phillies Get Key Offensive Contributor Back Prior To Orioles Showdown
Phillies Get Key Offensive Contributor Back Prior To Orioles Showdown
The Philadelphia Phillies have been ravaged by injuries in the past few weeks, but on Saturday, they finally returned a key contributor amid the subtractions.
Fan-favorite outfielder Brandon Marsh had been missing in action since June 2, when he left the Phillies’ game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a right hamstring strain. He was placed on the 10-day injured list at the time and thankfully for Philadelphia, he didn’t miss much more than those first 10 days.
The Phillies’ official X account posted early Saturday afternoon that Marsh was returning from his rehab assignment and removed from the injured list. Outfielder Weston Wilson was sent back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding roster move.
Marsh was also announced as the seventh hitter in the Phillies’ lineup Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. The Phillies won an epic 5-3 marathon in 11 innings in the series opener Friday night and will look to take the series Saturday against the team with the fourth-best record in Major League Baseball.
Marsh has been one of the driving forces for Philadelphia in the bottom half of the lineup ever since being traded to the team from the Los Angeles Angels in 2022. He has been excellent this season, posting a .770 OPS/120 OPS+ in 52 games.
While Phillies fans will surely be overjoyed to see Marsh back, the real anticipation lies in waiting for Trea Turner to make his return from a hamstring injury. Turner said in London last Sunday that he hoped to be back “within a week” and at this point, a move could be forthcoming at any time.
When both Marsh and Turner are back in the fold, the Phillies will have some interesting decisions to make. Turner signed an 11-year, $300 million contract to play shortstop, but in his absence, Edmundo Sosa has done an excellent job in the up the middle. Meanwhile, second-year center fielder Johan Rojas has been lifeless offensively, leading many to theorize that Sosa could remain in the lineup over Rojas.
Marsh went 4-for-8 with a walk and three strikeouts in his two games rehabbing with Double-A Reading. He had one hit in each of his last three MLB games before hitting the injured list.
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