‘Red flag goes up’: Austin Hays is part of a larger trend of Phillies hamstring injuries

PHOENIX — While running to first base Wednesday against the Dodgers, Austin Hays became the latest Phillie to experience the dreaded “grab” in his hamstring.

This season, Brandon Marsh missed 12 days, Bryce Harper missed 11, and Trea Turner missed six weeks with hamstring strains. All three of them suffered their injuries while running the bases.

The team doesn’t know if Hays, who left Wednesday’s game in the third inning, also will require a stint on the injured list. He saw a doctor before Thursday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks and is awaiting results, manager Rob Thomson said. Hays was out of the lineup in the series opener, and Weston Wilson took over in left field.

“He feels better,” Thomson said. “But we’ll find out more from the test exactly where he’s at.”

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While hamstring injuries are one of the most common injuries across the sport, Thomson said it does raise some eyebrows when so many players on the same team are experiencing the same thing.

“Whenever the same injury pops up, three, four times, a red flag goes up,” Thomson said. “So then we just start doing an internal review of, ‘OK, what are we doing here? Are we doing the right thing? Are we stretching enough? Are we stretching too much? Are we doing too much lower body exercise?’ So everybody’s on top of it. I’m looking at, ‘OK, how much have I used this guy?’”

Hays went from being a platoon player in Baltimore to becoming the Phillies’ everyday left fielder after joining the team at the trade deadline. Thomson considered if he pushed him too hard, too fast. But on the other hand, he said, Wednesday’s injury came in Hays’ fifth game in a row after he had two days off.

“We all kind of do our own background work and make sure that we’re doing the right thing,” Thomson said.

As he rehabs from lower back soreness, Ranger Suárez threw a 36-pitch bullpen session on Thursday that Thomson said went “extremely well.”

“I don’t know velocities or anything like that, but they said he was really good,” Thomson said.

The next step is a live batting practice session, but the Phillies haven’t decided if Suárez will throw another bullpen session in Phoenix before that. Thomson does not expect Suárez to be ready to return to the rotation during the Phillies next homestand from Aug. 13-18, since they plan to fit in one or two batting practice sessions before he is reinstated. A rehab assignment also is on the table.

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“I kind of like to see them, just to get them some competition,” Thomson said. “Cover first base and field bunts and stuff like that in that competitive atmosphere.”

Dylan Covey’s rehab assignment was transferred to triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday. Covey has been on the injured list with a right shoulder strain since March. … J.T. Realmuto reached 10 years of major league service time on Thursday. Since Realmuto has spent the last six seasons on the Phillies, he is eligible for “10-and-5″ rights, allowing him to veto any future proposed trade involving him. … Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.77 ERA) was scheduled to start on Friday against Arizona righty Ryne Nelson (8-6, 4.65).