Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto injured his left hand on wild pitch that sealed Thursday’s loss

The wild pitch that David Hale skipped Thursday past J.T. Realmuto already stung as it ended a rough road trip with a brutal loss. But that pitch bit again on Friday when the Phillies scratched Realmuto from the starting lineup with a sore hand.

The Phillies played Friday night’s series opener against the Mets without Realmuto, Bryce Harper, Didi Gregorius, and Jean Segura as the injures seem to be piling up.

Realmuto, acting manager Rob Thomson said on the team’s pregame radio show, injured his left hand when Hale’s wild pitch in a 4-3 loss to the Cardinals hit the hand just below his mitt.

Realmuto was scheduled to bat third Friday, but he felt soreness when taking batting practice before the game. He was replaced by Andrew Knapp.

» READ MORE: The Phillies and Mets have been bad. But they’re playing for first place in the NL East this weekend. | Extra Innings

The Phillies placed Didi Gregorius on the COVID-19 injured list, which Thomson said was a precaution. Gregorius, like he did last season, plays with a mask because he has a kidney condition that puts him at risk against the coronavirus.

He was replaced on the roster by catcher Rafael Marchan, who became the backup catcher after Realmuto was scratched. If all is well, Gregorius could return as early as Saturday.

“The COVID list today was just a precaution on our part to make sure he’s OK,” Thomson said.

Relief pitcher Archie Bradley and second baseman Jean Segura remain on the injured list, but they were both in South Philadelphia on Friday as the Phillies remain hopeful they can return soon.

Bradley, who has been out since April 11 with a strained oblique, threw in the outfield and was scheduled to complete a short bullpen session. The Phillies have missed Bradley, who was signed this offseason for $6 million to be a key piece of the team’s rebuilt bullpen.

Segura took batting practice, fielded ground balls, and ran to test his strained quadriceps. He’s been on the injured list since April 21. He was the team’s most consistent hitter when he was injured sprinting to first base and could have been a leadoff option earlier this week when the Phillies tried Brad Miller.

» READ MORE: Phillies prospect Logan O’Hoppe grew up a fan of Joe Girardi. Now Girardi is a fan of his.

Joe Girardi missed Friday night’s game to attend his daughter’s college graduation. Thomson, the bench coach, replaced him and Girardi is expected to return Saturday ... Zack Wheeler will start Saturday against right-hander Taijuan Walker ... Ronald Torreyes remains on the injured list after testing positive for COVID-19. He is expected to begin a rehab assignment in the next few days in Lehigh Valley ... The Phillies have not announced a starting pitcher for Monday’s series opener against Milwaukee, but Thomson said Matt Moore is available out of the bullpen. That might mean Vince Velasquez will start Monday.