LATEST NEWS

July 19: LHP Ranger Suárez, RHP Zack Wheeler progress toward return
Manager Rob Thomson said that both Suárez and Wheeler took steps toward rejoining the rotation after each dealt with back issues the week before the All-Star break. Suárez, who has had low back spasms, threw from 120 feet and had a flat-ground session on Friday at PNC Park, and Wheeler, who has been set back by back tightness, threw from 120 feet on Friday but did not have a flat-ground session. Thomson also said that Suárez threw twice over the All-Star break.

If all goes well, there's a chance that the two could be back in game action for the Phillies during their series in Minnesota from Monday to Wednesday, though Thomson did not say that was the plan just yet while they are being evaluated this weekend. Wheeler (10-4, 2.70 ERA) and Suárez (10-4, 2.76 ERA) are crucial cogs in the Phils' quest for their first National League East title since 2011, so the team does not want to rush their returns. Neither was placed on the 15-day IL.

• All Phillies transactions

10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST

RHP Taijuan Walker (right index finger inflammation)
Expected return: After the All-Star break
Walker threw a bullpen session on July 17 in Arizona during the All-Star break. Manager Rob Thomson said the plan was to have Walker join the team in Pittsburgh on July 19, but a huge software misfunction that halted flights across the nation that day made it so that the first flight Walker could get would put him in Pittsburgh after the game. The plan was to have him throw an up-and-down session on July 20, but Thomson said the team would reevaluate him before continuing with that or determining any next steps.

Walker, who began the season on the injured list with right shoulder soreness, has had difficulty locating his splitter this season -- an issue that Thomson said could stem from inflammation and a blister on Walker's right index finger. He was placed on the IL on June 23.

The location of the blister has made it difficult for Walker to grip his splitter, but it does not impact his ability to grip the fastball, so he has continued to throw while on the IL. That said, the length of the IL stint will depend entirely on his ability to regain that splitter grip without any discomfort and throw the pitch effectively. Walker will need to make at least a couple of rehab starts before he rejoins the Phillies’ rotation. (Last updated: July 19)

C J.T. Realmuto (right knee surgery)
Expected return: In the coming days
Realmuto is "very close" to making his return, per manager Rob Thomson, but he said the team wasn't sure yet when he will be activated. There's a chance it could be as early as the weekend of July 19-21 in Pittsburgh. Realmuto underwent right knee meniscectomy surgery in mid-June, and the expected timetable for his return was about a month. (Last updated: July 19)

RHP Spencer Turnbull (right lat strain)
Expected return: Late August
Turnbull started playing catch in Clearwater, Fla., on July 13. He made his return to the rotation on June 26, but he departed after just three innings after feeling a "little grab" on his second-last pitch. He was diagnosed with a right lat strain and placed on the 15-day IL the following day.

"It's probably going to be six weeks, could be eight weeks," manager Rob Thomson said at the time.

That would put Turnbull in line to return in mid-August, though he'd need a rehab stint to ramp back up at that point. (Last updated: July 14)

60-DAY INJURED LIST

RHP Michael Rucker (right hand arterial vasospasm)
Expected return: TBD
Though he's on the IL with a hand injury, Rucker was returned from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on July 7 due to turf toe on his right big toe. He restarted a rehab assignment on July 13 with the IronPigs. Rucker last pitched for the Phillies on March 1 and was moved to the 60-day injured list on June 3. (Last updated: July 14)

RHP Luis F. Ortiz (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Possibly 2025
Ortiz underwent Tommy John surgery on July 11 and will be sidelined for the rest of the 2024 season and most, if not all, of the '25 campaign.

Ortiz originally went on the IL because of a sprained left ankle he sustained on March 30. He had started to work his way back from that injury before the Phillies recalled him from his first rehab assignment in late April after he started to experience inflammation in his right shoulder. That had subsided enough for Ortiz to begin another rehab assignment on June 11, but his recovery was once again derailed when he began experiencing forearm discomfort before further testing revealed the need for surgery. Ortiz was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 5. (Last updated: July 11)

RHP Dylan Covey (right shoulder strain)
Expected return: TBD
Covey had started to play catch but he tweaked a hamstring while rehabbing. He is back in Clearwater, Fla., where he is shut down for the time being. Covey has not pitched since his final Grapefruit League appearance on March 1. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 1. (Last updated: June 1)

RHP Andrew Painter (Tommy John surgery; No. 1 on Phillies Top 30 Prospects list)
Expected return: 2025
Painter underwent Tommy John surgery in late July 2023, and he is not expected to pitch again until the 2025 season. The right-hander remains the No. 19 overall prospect -- and No. 4-ranked pitcher -- in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. Painter will still be just 21 years old on Opening Day next year. (Last updated: May 18)

• More injury news