‘Frontier, baby!’: Kody Clemens and Johan Rojas had to improvise on their trip back to the Phillies

Infielder Kody Clemens was in Durham, N.C., when he received a call from a Phillies official on Thursday night.

“They told me to be ready in the morning,” Clemens said.

And sure enough, at 9:45 a.m. Friday, Clemens was informed that he would be heading to Philadelphia later that day.

Outfielder Johan Rojas, who was sent down to triple A on June 17, would be accompanying him. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber had just been placed on the 10-day injured list. Harper strained his left hamstring in Thursday’s game, and Schwarber strained his left groin the same night.

» READ MORE: Phillies put Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber on IL, but feel ‘very fortunate’ the injuries aren’t worse

It was a blow to a team that has weathered its share of injuries lately (including low back spasms that put Clemens on the 10-day IL on June 3). But Clemens is healthy now and ready to compete.

The first step, however, was getting to Philadelphia — which proved to be a difficult task Friday morning. Rojas and Clemens originally were booked on a 12:45 p.m. American Airlines flight, which was delayed to 6 p.m. They tried to get on an early American flight, but that one was delayed, too.

So they decided to do something a little unconventional.

“The only flight out of there that was on time was a Frontier flight at 12:45,” Clemens said. “Rojas and I take Frontier, baby. Hell yeah.”

Clemens and Rojas arrived in time for batting practice. It’s unknown if they had to pay any bogus baggage fees, but their bags were with them in the clubhouse.

“It was fine,” Clemens said. “We got here safe and sound.”

Rojas went right to work on the field, practicing his bunts on the machine. Clemens took batting practice on the field and took some ground balls, too. When he arrived in the clubhouse, he walked over to Harper’s locker. Harper has taken to Clemens, who filled in for him last year when he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.

“I just asked, ‘Dude, what happened?’” Clemens said. “I couldn’t believe it. Of course, it’s the last dang play of the game. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Clemens takes no pleasure in returning at another players’ expense, let alone a friend. But he is happy to be back and knows there is an opportunity in front of him. Entering Friday, he hit .256/.293/.615, with a .908 OPS and three home runs.

Rojas had bouts of success this season but was sent down to refine certain parts of his game. He hit .382/.417/.500 with a .917 OPS and one home run in eight games at Lehigh Valley.

» READ MORE: The Phillies got lucky with Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and their trade deadline outlook

“Everything that we wanted him to do — see pitches, grind out at-bats, use the field, use the speed game with bunting, cut down his swing — he did all of that,” manager Rob Thomson said of Rojas. “So he’s proven to us that he’s got the aptitude to be able to do that and the physical capabilities to do that, and hopefully it continues here.”

The Phillies are disappointed, of course, but players have pointed to the team’s track record of success when facing adversity. Shortstop Trea Turner has seen it himself. When he went on the injured list on May 4 with a left hamstring strain, Edmundo Sosa filled in. Despite being a part-time player, Sosa didn’t miss a beat.

“We have a really good organization with a lot of good players,” Turner said. “Playing time is the hardest thing to get, and when you get that playing time, you can really showcase and get comfortable and show what you have. You saw Sosa do it, when he got a chance to play 30-35 games. And he played great.

“I know Kody, [Bryson] Stott, different guys are excited about opportunities they have. I think it’s good for us, and that’s how you build depth. You don’t want to get injuries, but when you do get them, that’s how you build depth for the long run.”

Added Clemens: “Obviously, the trend of the year has been the guys coming up and playing well, so hopefully we can step in and keep that momentum rolling.”

In the third inning of Tuesday’s game in Detroit, Harper hit a double to left field. Turner was on first base. He did not score, which brought into question his baserunning, following his recent stint on the injured list.

“I think he’s being smart about how he’s running,” Thomson said of Turner. “And when he needs to put on the gas, he does.”

Turner said some days are better than others.

“Overall, I feel good,” Turner said. “I feel like I can play every day. I can play hard. I don’t want to necessarily be out of control every play because I want to make sure I’m past what I dealt with, and it’s a long year. I’ve put a lot of work in, and still putting the work in. Some days good; some days bad. But that’s how we all feel.”

» READ MORE: Hayes: The Phillies paid Castellanos $100 million. He needs to step up (again) with Harper and Schwarber out.

Turner said he sometimes has a voice in the back of his head telling him to be cautious. But he believes that will fade away as he plays more games.

“Sure, at times [I do],” Turner said. “When I feel good, no. But when I don’t feel good — or whatever it is — and it’s not necessarily just my hamstring. It could be any number of reasons — a foul ball off my leg, or whatever it is. You just think about those things now. Before you get hurt, you never think about it, and then when you get hurt, you’re like, ‘Wait a second. Wait a second.’

“So there is a little second-guessing from a health standpoint. But at the end of the day, when the game is on the line or a play needs to be made, I feel good.”

Thomson said Realmuto (right knee pain) took dry swings (swings without hitting a ball) on Friday and hit off a tee. He is progressing well. Down in Clearwater, Fla., pitching prospect Andrew Painter, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, is progressing well, too. He has thrown two limited side sessions, throwing only fastballs, which is standard for a player who is recovering from injury. He will incorporate the rest of his arsenal slowly. The goal still is to have Painter return in 2025.