What if…
So, as with the rest of the National League East it seems, the injury bug has started to come for the Phillies. Matt Strahm, whose velocity was down a bit in his latest outing, now has a culprit for it.
Matt Strahm has a “little bit of a sore shoulder.”
He hasn’t pitched since Wednesday, when his velo was down a bit and he allowed 4 runs in 2/3 IP — but Rob Thomson said tests were clean and there’s no concern.
“Nothing wrong; we’re just going to back him off for a few days.”
— Paul Casella (@Paul_CasellaMLB) March 9, 2025
At this point in spring training, it shouldn’t be too much of a concern if the manager is talking about it this frankly. Usually, when there is coded language being used, Rob Thomson would speak about it a bit differently, but as you can see above, there is no concern about it.
That won’t stop us!
Strahm was one of the team’s best relievers last year, if not the best one they had. His effectiveness against both right- and left-handed hitters made them think that someone like Jeff Hoffman was a bit more expendable than what we thought. If there turns out to be something actually wrong with him, the plan with the bullpen becomes a bit more convoluted.
So, for today’s question: what should the Phillies do if Matt Strahm, or any of the team’s high leverage relievers, get seriously injured? There are obviously some contingencies in place, be that in terms of a callup from the minor leagues or a role shift to someone currently on the pitching staff. It’s just interesting to think what those contingencies could be.