CLEARWATER, Fla. — Left-hander Matt Strahm is no longer feeling any pain in his pitching shoulder after dealing with an impingement this spring, Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters on Saturday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark.
The reliever did a strength test that checked out, and he threw the baseball from 75 feet out. He’ll keep working to build his arm strength back up after a brief pause from pitching activities.
“Everything went well, and we’ll extend him out tomorrow,” Thomson said.
The timing of this all is tough with only 12 days until Opening Day on March 27 in Washington, D.C. Strahm is one of the most trustworthy arms in Philadelphia’s bullpen, and the unit with some question marks would be even more uncertain without the lefty’s presence. He hasn’t yet been ruled out for the start of the season.
“I think that there’s a chance, OK?” Thomson said of Strahm’s potential to be ready for the opener. “But we still have to lengthen him out.”
Strahm will need to throw a bullpen, possibly pitch in a live batting practice and appear in some sort of game action before he’s ready to go for the regular season. That’s a lot to come together in a short span, especially for a pitcher who the Phillies turn to for high-leverage situations. Time will only tell if he can avoid a stint on the injured list.
Camp Notes
- While Strahm’s status is still unclear, fellow lefty reliever José Alvarado looks as sharp as ever this spring. He struck out three batters during the inning he threw as the Phillies tied with the Tigers on Saturday, 2-2. Alvarado now has 15 strikeouts in six innings this spring. His fastball is hitting triple digits, and he hasn’t allowed a single run. He’s been electric.
Thomson liked what he saw out of Alvarado again. He was also impressed with the performances of right-handers Jordan Romano and Orion Kerkering. Those three pitchers will need to step up for the Phillies this season, especially if Strahm is unavailable at the beginning. - Phillies ace Zack Wheeler threw well in a battle against reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. Wheeler surrendered two unearned runs in the first inning with some sloppy defense from the Phillies, but allowed no further damage through his five frames of work. He’s working on his cutter. He’s looking like himself.
Wheeler started on Opening Day last season to break a streak of six straight by Aaron Nola. Wheeler is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and it’s expected that the ball will be his. Thomson declined to name a starter for the opener, however, saying he’ll do so on Monday. - Third baseman Alec Bohm was hobbling a little bit after fouling a ball off his foot. He’ll get some rest, as already scheduled, when the club heads to Sarasota on Sunday to play the Orioles.
“He’s off tomorrow anyway,” Thomson said, “so he’ll be fine for the next day.”
