Grapefruit League play for the Phillies begins Saturday and Rob Thomson lays out the pitching plans for the first four games.
As he previously said, left-hander Kolby Allard will start against the Blue Jays in Dunedin on Saturday and Aaron Nola will start in the spring home opener against the Yankees on Sunday. Each is expected to pitch two innings.
David Buchanan will start on Monday and Cristopher Sanchez on Tuesday. The games are against the Red Sox and Twins in Fort Myers, 140 miles from Clearwater.
For a season as good as 2023, Sanchez barely had spring training. He pitched only three innings because of triceps pain and then slowly improved. He comes into this camp in a completely different place – healthy, confident and knowing his rotation point is solidified.
Injury updates
• Alec Bohm won't play in at least one of the Fort Myers games until now. He struggles with neck spasms.
• Third-string catcher Rafael Marchan is dealing with a lower back injury. “It's just a precautionary measure. Turn it off and see if we can quiet the problem,” Thomson told reporters.
• Brandon Marsh, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Feb. 9, ran without a knee brace on Friday.
“They told him to get 60 percent,” Thomson said. “I said, if that’s 60 percent, you’re a world-class runner.”
The team set a three- to four-week timeline for Marsh's return the day of surgery and expects him to be ready for Opening Day on March 28 in Philly.