Sam Coonrod to miss the beginning of the season with shoulder injury

The Phillies will be a down a key reliever to begin the season.

Right-handed pitcher Sam Coonrod is shut down from throwing for five to seven days because of a strained right shoulder, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. He won’t make the Opening Day roster. Coonrod gave up three runs in his last Grapefruit League outing against the Blue Jays on March 23.

Coonrod, 29, posted a 4.04 ERA in his first season with the Phillies in 2021. His upper 90s fastball appealed to the Phillies when they acquired him in a trade with the Giants in January 2021. He struggled with inherited runners on base and missed roughly two months with right forearm tendinitis last season.

José Alvarado is also dealing with a neck issue that has shut him down from throwing in the last few days. The team is hoping he’ll resume throwing relatively soon and hasn’t been ruled out for Opening Day. Alvarado has not appeared in a Grapefruit League game, but had been throwing to hitters prior to the injury.

A few locks for the Opening Day bullpen, excluding the injured Alvarado and Coonrod, include Connor Brogdon, Seranthony Domínguez, Jeurys Familia, Brad Hand and Corey Knebel.

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