Brandon Marsh optimistic after knee surgery: ‘I’m in a good state of mind right now’

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The expectation is that Brandon Marsh will be ready for the start of the season after undergoing knee surgery last week in Philadelphia.

The always upbeat Marsh addressed reporters Thursday in Clearwater and says he’s on track for Opening Day. He ran and played catch in the outfield of BayCare Ballpark under the watchful eye of head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit.

“I’m in a good state of mind right now,” Marsh said. “I have good hands working on me and we’re right on track.”

Marsh said he began feeling discomfort in the knee earlier in the offseason. It reached a point where he had to contact the medical staff. He underwent a procedure in Philly last week that he described as a “clean up.”

The issue, as Marsh suggested, stems from an injury suffered in August 2022 in a game against the Reds. He attempted to make a leaping grab to rob Jonathan India of a home run only to fall to the track. He missed 10 days with what was deemed at the time as a left ankle sprain. Marsh also missed games last year with a left knee contusion.

Much of the focus on Marsh this season will be on his playing time against lefties. He posted a .717 OPS in 110 plate appearances against left-handed pitching in 2023, but was protected at times against tougher opponents. He also had to share the outfield with platoon partner Cristian Pache, who had a .924 OPS against lefties in 57 plate appearances.

It’s unclear if the Phillies are looking at a similar setup in left field this year. The Phillies like the idea of having two Gold Glove caliber outfielders with Rojas in center and Marsh in left, who is stronger at a corner spot.

“If those two guys are playing the outfield, we’re a lot better defensive club,” Rob Thomson said Thursday.

But if Pache, a strong defender in his own right, breaks camp with the team, Marsh may sit occasionally against a lefty starter.

It’s very possible that roster composition determines Marsh’s playing time against lefties more than how he looks against them. It’s also possible that Marsh comes out of the gate hot and forces the Phillies to think twice about sitting him against lefties.

Either way is fine with Marsh.

“For me personally, for sure,” Marsh said. “I would love to be out there every pitch, every inning no matter who is on the bump for the other team. But guys on the staff have jobs to do and they got to put the best lineup out there to help get our team a win. Whatever that is is what it’s going to be that night and I’m cool with that.”

2023 was a good year for the now 26-year-old Marsh. The production came in spades, but he ended the year with a .277/.372/.458 slash line with 12 home runs and 60 RBIs across 472 plate appearances. He fell 30 plate appearances short of qualifying for the batting title, but if he did, he would have finished fourth behind Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto and Adley Rutschman in on-base percentage among players 25 and under.

His walk rate more than doubled from 2022 to 2023. His feel for the zone improved, but he still had trouble limiting the swing-and-miss. His goal is to cut down on strikeouts in 2024. He has yet to post a season with a strikeout rate under 30% in his big league career.

“I can put the bat on the ball a little more,” Marsh said. “That’s kind of been my MO coming up through the minor leagues and back in high stuff. I know the competition is different, but I gotta get back to that.”

Phillies Notes

• Aaron Nola, David Buchanan and Griff McGarry were among the pitchers who threw bullpen sessions on Thursday.
• When asked if Garrett Stubbs is definitely the Phillies’ backup catcher, Thomson said, “It’s always a competition. We’ve got three really good guys in the competition with [Stubbs], [Rafael] Marchan and really Aramis Garcia too. He can really catch and throw. He runs the game, runs the pitching staff well.”
• Thomson on how he’ll judge Rojas in camp: “You look at the at-bats. ‘OK, are the mechanics working properly. Is he seeing the ball? Is he swinging at good pitches? Is he chasing?’ In spring training, a guy could hit .200, but the at-bats are a lot better. A lot of line drives, a lot of solid contact. Just making outs. I’m not going to look at it just based on numbers solely.”

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