PHOENIX — The Phillies planned to have Spencer Turnbull throw off a mound in Clearwater this week for the first time since he suffered a lat strain on June 26, but he felt soreness in the area of the injury and will stop throwing for at least a few days.
"He did not, had a little soreness," manager Rob Thomson said prior to the Phillies' third of four games in Arizona. "He came back to play catch and he ended up having some soreness so we kinda backed off him. Give him some extra time. Hopefully by the end of this week, we'll get him back going again."
The initial timetable for Turnbull's injury was 6-to-8 weeks. Wednesday marked six weeks. If he's able to successfully return, it will be as a reliever rather than a starter. There isn't enough time left to stretch him back out.
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"It's gonna be tough at this point. We'll stretch him out as much as we can but it would be tough to get him to 100 pitches," Thomson said.
"He started to get his routine down, his process down. That's a big deal for these guys because he's been a starter his whole life and now he has to figure out when do I play catch, when do I get it going, how long do I need, what if I get up and have to stop and then have to get up later in the game and I've had Tommy John (surgery). All these things go through your head so it's difficult for some guys."
The Phillies could certainly use a healthy Turnbull in their 'pen come playoff time. He is capable of providing more value in that role than Taijuan Walker, who has never relieved, or some of the Phillies' lower-leverage arms like Jose Ruiz and Yunior Marte.
Turnbull owns a 2.65 ERA in 54⅓ innings as a Phillie, covering seven starts and 10 relief appearances. He excelled as a starter with a 1.78 ERA and .146 opponents' batting average but did struggle initially after the transition to relieving, allowing nine runs in his first 13⅓ innings. Turnbull's last three outings before the injury were strong — 8⅔ innings, one run.
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"I think he'd be very comfortable because I think he understands we don't have a whole lot of time here," Thomson said. "He wants to win. He's pitching for a contract, too. I talked to him earlier in the year while he was still in the rotation and I said, you know, there's a lot of value in a guy who teams know can start and come out of the bullpen."
Rotation plans
The Phillies started Aaron Nola on Saturday at Chase Field, and Cristopher Sanchez will start Sunday in the final game of a grueling 10-game West Coast trip.
The Phils are off Monday, and Walker will return Tuesday against the Marlins to begin a six-game homestand.
The team is still deciding on a rotation plan beyond Tuesday. With the off-day Monday, a No. 5 starter (Tyler Phillips) will not be needed until next Saturday, August 17.
They could start Zack Wheeler, Nola and Sanchez on regular rest Wednesday through Friday, if they choose.
They could also start Phillips on Wednesday and give Wheeler, Nola and Sanchez an extra day apiece. More should be known by the end of the weekend.
Ranger Suarez will not return during the homestand against Miami and Washington but could be back for the following week's road trip in Atlanta and Kansas City.