Phillies’ Brandon Marsh hits the injured list and could be out 2-3 weeks

Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday after bruising his left knee against the center-field fence trying to catch Samad Taylor’s triple in the fifth inning of Saturday’s 9-6 win over the Kansas City Royals. An MRI and an X-ray revealed no structural damage, manager Rob Thomson said.

As a corresponding move, the Phillies called up utility player Weston Wilson from triple-A Lehigh Valley and added him to the 26-man roster. Thomson expects Marsh to be out for two to three weeks. Notably, Wilson is a right-handed batter, and will be replacing a left-handed batter in Marsh, but the Phillies expect to face a lot of left-handed pitching in the four-game series against the visiting Washington Nationals that starts Monday.

“He’s playing great,” Thomson said of Wilson, who played shortstop in 64 of his 100 games this season and also has played first base, third base, right field, and left field. “Hits left-handed pitching. Can play anywhere. So you’ve got all kinds of flexibility. He runs pretty well, defends pretty well everywhere. He’s a good player.”

Wilson, 28, was a 17th-round pick out of Clemson by Milwaukee in the 2016 draft. His first appearance will be his major-league debut. He was hitting .260/.361/.524 with a career-high 25 home runs with Lehigh Valley this season. He’s walking at a 13.1% clip, a significant jump from his 8.4% walk rate last season with the Brewers’ triple-A affiliate. Wilson was signed to a minor-league contract in January.

For the first time in a while, the Phillies have some real outfield depth. Johan Rojas, who was called up a few weeks ago, is an elite defender and was hitting .300/.333/.375 through his first 16 games. Cristian Pache, who is on the injured list with right elbow irritation, could return earlier than Marsh. Pache is expected to start a rehab assignment Tuesday. Like Rojas, he is an elite defender who can play all outfield positions. Pache was hitting .327/.365/.592 when he was placed on the injured list.

Even utility infielder Rodolfo Castro, who was acquired from the Pirates at the trade deadline, could be an option. He hasn’t played center field in the big leagues, but told Thomson he feels comfortable there. Castro will start working with first base coach Paco Figueroa in center field, just in case.

Jake Cave, who was recalled July 21 and spent most of his time in left field, also has experience playing in center field.

But while the Phillies are in a better position than they would have been at the start of the season, it is still a loss. Marsh was one of their most consistent hitters. He is batting .284/.369/.463, and .300/.394/.522 over his last 30 games.

“Obviously, it’s a loss,” Thomson said of Marsh. “He’s one of our better hitters, but the other guys have to pick it up. And if the other guys hit like they’re supposed to hit, we shouldn’t miss a beat.”

Marsh was on crutches in the clubhouse Sunday morning. He was in good spirits and said he understands that getting injured is part of the game. Thomson said the crutches are just to keep weight off his left knee.

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José Alvarado (left elbow inflammation) will throw live batting practice Monday. If that goes well, he’ll start a rehab assignment Thursday. Thomson said he doesn’t know where Alvarado will go yet, but he has some advice for minor-league hitters who will face the hard-throwing lefty: “Swing early.”