The Phillies announced that Ranger Suarez was removed from the 15-day injured list and the left-hander will be on the mound today for the game against the Royals. Left-hander Tyler Gilbert was sent to Triple-A yesterday in advance of Suarez’s planned return.

Suarez was last seen pitching just over a month ago on July 22, when he allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings as the Phillies lost 7-2 to the Twins on July 22. This was Suarez’s fourth consecutive rough outing, as his attempts to pitch while suffering from back pain clearly had a negative impact on his performance. Suarez sat out the All-Star Game to rest a little more because of his back problems, but after returning from the break and making up for a rough start against Minnesota, the decision was made to place him on the injured list for a more complete recovery period.

After proving to be a solid member of Philadelphia’s rotation in 2022-23, Suarez took a step forward as a potential ace by posting a 1.83 ERA in his first 16 starts and 98 1/3 innings of the 2024 season. Even though his final four starts increased that ERA to 2.87 in 119 1/3 frames of the season, Suarez’s overall numbers are still excellent, such as a 52.3% grounder rate, 5.6% walk rate and very strong soft contact metrics. The left-hander is more of a contact specialist than a strikeout pitcher, but his 24.1% strikeout rate is above league average and in the 62nd percentile of all pitchers.

Suarez’s performance reflects the Phillies’ season, as the Phils themselves have struggled recently after a stellar first three months. Philadelphia has a record of just 19-25 since July 1, and while the Braves have struggled of their own, Atlanta is now just five games behind the Phillies for first place in the NL East. A five-game lead is still a fairly comfortable position on August 24, and the Phillies can only hope that a healthy and productive Suarez can help the club return to form throughout the championship race and into October.