Phillies’ Ranger Suárez placed on injured list

The Phillies placed Ranger Suárez on the 15-day injured list with lower back soreness, the team announced Saturday.

Suárez woke up Friday with tightness on the left side of his back and initially tried to work through it in the bullpen but was unable to, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

The move is retroactive to July 24. The left-hander had been replaced in the All-Star Game because of back spasms, which he called “mild,” and pitched without any issues against the Minnesota Twins after a 10-day break. Though the Phillies’ bats went cold behind him, Suárez went 5⅓ innings and allowed three earned runs and one walk in a 7-2 loss..

Thomson said Suárez’s current injury is not the same as those previous back spasms, and the soreness is on the opposite side of his back. The team is “hoping” Suárez will be ready to return in time for the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 8.

“We’re going to be super precautious and do all the rest,” Thomson said.

Even with the 10-day break, Suárez has had a higher workload this season compared to previous years. He pitched 125 innings in 2023, and already is at 119⅓ innings in 2024. His next scheduled start was Sunday’s series finale against the Cleveland Guardians.

“I think, over the course of a full season, guys typically need some time off,” Thomson said. “I see this as kind of a silver lining for Ranger’s year. I think he’ll come out of this and be stronger coming down the stretch.”

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To fill Suárez’s spot on the roster, the Phillies recalled left-hander Kolby Allard from Lehigh Valley. He will slot into the rotation in Suárez’s place and start on Sunday against Cleveland right-hander Xzavion Curry (0-2, 4.98 ERA). Allard, who signed a one-year deal with the Phillies in January, posted a 5.23 ERA in triple A this season across 63⅔ innings.

In his last three starts, however, Allard has a 2.89 ERA and held opponents to a .217 batting average.

“He’s pitching good,” Thomson said. “The fastball is going to be 88 to 90, 91 [mph]. But he’s really commanding the baseball, using all his pitches, commanding all his pitches. He’s one of the top pitchers in the International League right now.”

The 26-year-old previously spent four seasons with the Texas Rangers. He also had two separate stops with the Braves.