Time is just what the Phillies’ Brandon Marsh needs to try to break through as an everyday player

CLEARWATER, Fla. — If Brandon Marsh will ever graduate from being the lefty-hitting half of an outfield platoon to an everyday player for the Phillies, it’s going to be this year. At age 26, entering his fourth major-league season, the time is now.

Imagine how he must have felt, then, when the dull ache in his left knee during his offseason workouts wouldn’t go away.

“It was a bit of surprise,” Marsh said Thursday. “Just reached a point where I was like, I need to reach out to the [team]. We got it looked at and just had to do a little cleanup.”

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That was last Friday. Marsh had arthroscopic surgery in Philadelphia to remove loose cartilage (he suspects it may have been related to a collision with the center-field wall in Cincinnati in 2022) that began to cause irritation.

The timing wasn’t great. But six days later, and four days before the Phillies’ first full-squad workout, Marsh walked — quickly and sans assistance or even any perceptible hobble — to his locker and sounded an optimistic tone that he will meet the team’s stated timeline of being ready to play on opening day March 28.

“That’s the plan,” he said. “Should be just a couple-of-week thing and be out there for opening day at the Bank.”

Well, as long as the Braves don’t start lefty Max Fried.

Because even before the surgery, and even though the Phillies didn’t acquire a righty-hitting outfielder in the offseason, and despite center fielder Johan Rojas’ inexperience, manager Rob Thomson signaled Marsh’s playing time will be dictated by one thing.

“If he’s swinging the bat against left-hand pitching — and I do expect him to improve there — then yeah, he’s probably going to be an everyday guy,” Thomson said. “Time will tell, you know?”

Time, Marsh said, is precisely what he needs to finally solve the lefty-vs.-lefty riddle.

Marsh made strides at the plate last season, notably snipping his strikeout rate to 30.5% from 34.3% in 2022 and 35% in 2021 with the Angels. He batted .277, slugged .458, and reached base at a .372 clip, second among Phillies hitters after only Bryce Harper (. 401).

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But Marsh still batted only .229 with a .717 OPS against left-handed pitchers compared to .292 with an .864 OPS against righties. There was such a drop-off in the quality of his at-bats that he didn’t start either game of the wild-card playoff series against Marlins lefties Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett.

“I feel like we made some strides in some areas and took some steps back in some other areas,” Marsh said. “Looking to try to polish off those areas we did good in and fix areas that we didn’t do good in.”

Surely, he’s talking about hitting lefties … right?

“Lefty, righty, same thing. They’ve got to put it over that [plate],” Marsh said. “I think I can put the bat on the ball a little bit more.”

Especially when you consider what tends to happen whenever Marsh makes contact. His .384 batting average on balls in play is the highest ever among hitters with at least 1,000 major-league plate appearances, edging Ty Cobb (. 383). Last year, Marsh batted .397 when he put the ball in play.

But he doesn’t make enough contact, overall but against lefthanders in particular. He struck out in 39% of his plate appearances against lefties last season, consistent with his 39.5% career mark.

Marsh and hitting coach Kevin Long have worked to make adjustments to his setup at the plate to get a better, longer look at pitches thrown by lefties. Those tweaks will continue in spring training.

Just as important, though, are changes to Marsh’s mental approach.

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“Thinking less maybe?” Marsh said. “The more reps you get, I just feel the preparation and the anxiety of getting in there [against lefties], it definitely goes way down. That’s with anything in life.

“It’s cool to get in there and compete against those back-end bullpen lefty arms that are nasty. You like to see where you stand against those guys.”

It can reasonably be argued that Marsh hasn’t gotten enough of a chance.

After acquiring Marsh in a 2022 deadline trade with the Angels, the Phillies used him in a center-field platoon with righty-hitting Matt Vierling. Before last season began, Thomson said he planned to give Marsh a chance to play every day. But Marsh started only one of the Phillies’ first five games against a lefty starter.

It didn’t help that Marsh didn’t produce when he finally got his chance. Although he finished with 472 plate appearances, a single-season career high, only 110 (23.3%) came against lefties. For his career, he has faced lefties 296 times, or 24.8% of his total plate appearances.

Rojas’ roster spot isn’t set in stone, although the Phillies believe their best outfield alignment includes him in center field and Marsh in left. If Marsh doesn’t start against lefties, righty-hitting Cristian Pache will have to, unless the Phillies sign a free agent in spring training.

Once again, though, Thomson wants to give Marsh a longer look against lefties.

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“We’ll give him ample opportunity to see if he can do it — and I fully believe that he’s going to be able to do it,” Thomson said. “Once we get him some reps against lefties, I think it’ll happen. And then we’ll just keep running him out there.”

But only after Marsh is cleared to run.

“I could’ve played the day after surgery,” Marsh said, deadpanning. “No, I’m just kidding. I’m in a good state of mind right now. I have great hands working on me. We’re right on track. We’re just trying to keep it day to day and keep it simple.”