Phillies put Seranthony Domínguez on the injured list with a strained side muscle

OAKLAND, Calif. — Two pitches after his most satisfying moment of the season, Seranthony Domínguez experienced his uneasiest one.

And it will sideline him for at least two weeks.

Domínguez went on the 15-day injured list Saturday, the Phillies announced, with what manager Rob Thomson characterized as a “very mild” oblique strain in his left side. The move was retroactive to Friday, leaving Domínguez eligible to return July 1.

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The injury traced back to Thursday in Arizona.

Domínguez struck out Diamondbacks slugger Christian Walker in the eighth inning, one night after giving up a game-tying three-run homer to him. He fanned Lourdes Gurriel Jr., too, to end the inning, but felt a twinge on his third-to-last pitch.

“It was just a little pop,” Domínguez said.

But the Phillies aren’t taking chances, especially given Domínguez’s injury history and importance to the bullpen. He missed a about month late last season with a triceps strain and survived a protracted recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2020.

So, rather than seeing if Domínguez is able to pitch through it, the Phillies shut him down and recalled right-hander Yunior Marte from triple A as an injury replacement. Marte was optioned to Lehigh Valley earlier in the week.

“We’re hoping to get [Domínguez] back shortly after the 15-day stint,” said Thomson, who noted that Marte and Jeff Hoffman will pick up some of the higher-leverage situations against right-handed hitters that typically call for Domínguez.

Domínguez has a 4.33 ERA in 32 appearances but has remained among Thomson’s most trusted late-inning options, along with José Alvarado, Craig Kimbrel, and Gregory Soto. That much was evident when Thomson went right back to Domínguez to face Walker.

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The Phillies could have left Marte in triple A and stuck with Luis Ortiz, who was returned to Lehigh Valley to open a roster spot for Saturday’s starter, Christopher Sánchez. But Thomson said they didn’t demote Marte for performance reasons. And they believed he was better suited than Ortiz to help fill Domínguez’s role.

Sure enough, Marte entered a tie game with two out and the go-ahead run on third base in the sixth inning Saturday and got Athletics pinch hitter Seth Brown to pop out to second base.

Marte had pitched 7⅔ consecutive scoreless innings over eight appearances before giving up two runs in Monday night’s bullpen game in Arizona. He has a 7.36 ERA in 16 appearances overall.

“When we sent him out, I told him this was more about getting him some length and not his performance,” Thomson said. “Because he’s really impressed me, anyway.”

In choosing to send Ortiz to triple A rather than designating Dylan Covey for assignment, the Phillies preserved some pitching depth, even though the latter’s role is unclear. Covey was the only reliever who didn’t appear in Saturday’s 12-inning game.

The Phillies claimed Covey off waivers last month and can’t send him to the minors without exposing him to waivers again. The 31-year-old right-hander has a 9.00 ERA in five appearances, including one start, and was bypassed the last three times the fifth-starter spot came around, twice in favor of bullpen games.

How does Covey fit into the Phillies’ short-term plans?

“Just length,” Thomson said, adding that Ortiz has minor league options. “Covey’s kind of our right-handed length guy.”

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Nick Castellanos’ streak of 70 consecutive starts to open the season ended because of a stomach bug.

Castellanos remained at the team hotel in San Francisco before the game, with Thomson hoping he would be able to make it to Oakland Coliseum in time to be available as a pinch hitter. Thomson said Castellanos’ sons, who are on the trip, also weren’t feeling well.

Kody Clemens started in right field for the first time in his major league career.

In addition to being the Phillies’ most consistent hitter and likeliest representative in the All-Star Game, Castellanos has been on a two-week tear. He’s 25-for-62 (.403) with five doubles and three homers in the last 15 games.

Top prospect Andrew Painter threw 25 pitches off a bullpen mound Friday in Clearwater, Fla., the second bullpen session in his recovery from a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. ... How long has it been since the Phillies played in Oakland? When the teams last met here in 2014, general manager Sam Fuld played for the Athletics. He went 0-for-7 with two walks and a stolen base in the series. ... The Phillies have won eight consecutive games against American League teams, the longest interleague winning streak in franchise history. ... Zack Wheeler (5-4, 3.73 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale Sunday against Athletics left-hander Hogan Harris (2-0, 4.84).