Aug 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner heads to the dugout after grounding out against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. (Grace Del Pizzo/On Pattison)
Phillies
Ahead of Thursday's series finale between the Phillies and Miami Marlins, Rob Thomson issued a series of updates. Here's that and more.
Bryce Harper is back in the lineup Thursday after missing two games with an undisclosed illness. He's playing first base and batting third.
Also back in the lineup is catcher J.T. Realmuto, who exited early in Tuesday's loss to the Marlins after getting a ball fouled off his right index finger. Realmuto is batting sixth against Miami starter Janson Junk.
Trea Turner continues to progress from a right hamstring strain that has sidelined him since Sept. 7. Thomson said that Turner looked "really good" while doing his agilities Wednesday and "doesn't feel it" when running. Thomson added that his hitting looked better today, saying that he "stayed on his legs much better than he has the last couple of days."
Turner will not return to the lineup Friday against the Minnesota Twins, and it's unclear if he'll play the weekend. Thomson did say that "we know he'll be ready for the playoffs," which for the Phillies will start on Oct. 4.
If Turner doesn't play this weekend, he could still get a tuneup next Wednesday, when the Phillies will play an intersquad game at Citizens Bank Park to stay sharp during their time off.
Trea Turner didn’t watch the Phillies celebrate the NL East in LA from home. He was too jealous, he half-joked.
He said today was the best he’s felt running since his hamstring injury. He’s hoping to play before the end of the regular season, but he’ll still have to see.
Walker Buehler will get the ball for the Phillies Thursday evening against the Marlins. Buehler is 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA over his first 8 2/3 innings as a Phillie. Thomson said he's "in a really good position right now," in terms of potentially being on the playoff roster. Presumably, the two-time World Series Champion would be utilized out of the bullpen in the playoffs.
Taijuan Walker will likely pitch in relief of Buehler at some point this evening (hopefully not after a prolonged rain delay). Thomson said that he would like to see Walker get through his first inning unscathed, because that's been an issue for him recently.
Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez will be the three starting pitchers this weekend for the Phillies against the Twins.
As far as a potential playoff rotation, Thomson said Thursday that he "would not" be afraid to use three consecutive lefty starters.
Sánchez will start Game 1, and if the Phillies opt to go with three lefties to open the NLDS, based on how Thomson has operated previously, he would slot in Suárez for Game 2 and Jesús Luzardo for Game 3, breaking up the two power lefties.
The final spot on the NLDS roster could come down to Otto Kemp vs. Johan Rojas, assuming the Phillies carry 14 hitters and 12 pitchers in the best-of-five series. I didn't ask Thomson directly about those two, but did try to pick his brain on how he and the Phillies think when building a postseason roster:
Will the Phillies give the final postseason roster spot to Otto Kemp or Johan Rojas? @TimKellySports asked Rob Thomson how he balances merit vs. fit when building a postseason roster. pic.twitter.com/2njMXB5onB
Tim Kelly is the Managing Editor for On Pattison. He's been on the Phillies beat since 2020. Kelly is also on Bleacher Report's MLB staff. Previously, Kelly has worked for Phillies Nation, Audacy Sports, SportsRadio 94 WIP, Just Baseball, FanSided, Locked On and Sports Illustrated/FanNation. Kelly is a graduate of Bloomsburg University with a major in Mass Communications and minor in Political Science.
