Ranger Suárez Begins Rehab Assignment as Phillies Monitor Return of Key Arms

Just one day after Taijuan Walker made his second appearance of the season in the Phillies’ starting rotation, another familiar face took a meaningful step toward rejoining the big-league club. Ranger Suárez, a key member of Philadelphia’s pitching staff, officially began his minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday night, taking the mound for the Clearwater Threshers, the Phillies' Single-A affiliate.

Suárez turned in a sharp and encouraging performance in his first outing since being sidelined with a back injury earlier in spring training. He threw a total of 33 pitches—24 of them strikes—across three scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit and recorded four strikeouts. Velocity-wise, he appeared to be in midseason form, with his first two fastballs registering at 92.6 and 92.5 mph, respectively. He consistently sat in the 90-92 mph range throughout the appearance, which aligns well with his typical career averages.

The Phillies have taken a cautious approach with Suárez since the spring, largely due to his history of back issues. He was limited to only five Grapefruit League innings and made a handful of additional appearances on the back fields at Carpenter Complex. Considering his previous injury concerns, the organization is in no rush to accelerate his return. Still, Thursday night’s outing provided plenty of reasons for optimism, particularly with Suárez’s velocity already looking strong.

Moving forward, the left-hander will likely require at least two more rehab starts—if not three—to build up his stamina and arm strength before rejoining the major-league rotation. Essentially, he’s going through a full spring training on a delayed schedule. Fortunately for the Phillies, Walker has stepped up admirably in Suárez’s absence. Over his first two starts, Walker has delivered 10⅔ scoreless innings, giving the Phillies exactly what they need from a back-end starter: stability and the ability to keep them in games.

Meanwhile, all eyes within the organization will remain fixed on the Clearwater Threshers again Friday night as another highly anticipated arm makes his long-awaited return. Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter is scheduled to make his first official appearance in a minor-league game since September of 2022. The 21-year-old right-hander is expected to throw approximately two innings or 35 pitches as he begins his own carefully managed comeback.

The Phillies plan to bring Painter along slowly. He will start on a once-a-week schedule for the time being, remaining within that 35-pitch limit. The strategy is twofold: not only do the Phillies want to avoid any unnecessary risk with one of their prized young arms, but they also aim to conserve Painter’s innings for what they hope will be a significant contribution during the second half of the MLB season.

While it’s been a full two and a half years since Painter’s last appearance in the minors, he did turn heads with a standout showing in the Arizona Fall League last year. Across 15⅔ innings, he dominated hitters with high-90s heat, an impressive ability to miss bats, and an overall presence that earned him the AFL’s Pitcher of the Year honors.

With both Suárez and Painter inching closer to readiness, the Phillies are beginning to see reinforcements on the horizon—just in time to provide a mid-season boost to their pitching depth.