Phillies injury update: Marsh placed on IL, outfield reinforcements could be on the way originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Shortly after 10:30 Sunday morning, outfielder Brandon Marsh walked into the Phillies clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. He was on crutches, which was new from the night before after he crashed into the center field fence trying to track down a long drive by Kansas City’s Samad Taylor.
Uh-oh.
Sure enough, about an hour later manager Rob Thomson announced that Marsh had been placed on the injured list with a bruised left knee. Wes Wilson has been called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his place on the roster.
“Probably two to three weeks,” Thomson said when asked how long he expected Marsh to be out. “Obviously, it’s a loss. He’s one of our better hitters. But the other guys have got to pick it up. And if the other guys hit like they’re supposed to hit, we shouldn’t miss a beat.”
Marsh was batting .284 with 8 homers, 44 RBI and a .832 OPS in 101 games this season.
Marsh had described himself as “very optimistic” that he’d miss only a game or two after x-rays taken Saturday night were negative. But after a battery of follow-up tests Sunday morning, it was determined that the injury was more severe than originally thought.
Thomson said that Johan Rojas will get the bulk of the playing time in center, although Jake Cave and Wilson are also options. “Rojas is playing great right now,” the manager said. “We’ll see if he can keep it going. But he looks very comfortable.”
Wilson, a 28-year old righthanded hitter who was signed as a minor league free agent during the offseason, was hitting .260 for the IronPigs with 25 homers, 69 RBI and an .884 OPS. He also stole 23 bases.
“He’s playing great,” Thomson said. “Hits lefthanded pitching. Can play anywhere, so he gives us all kinds of flexibility. Runs pretty well. Defends pretty well. He’s a good player.”
He was selected, in part, because the Phillies are scheduled to face two lefty starters, MacKenzie Gore and Patrick Corbin, during the four-game Nationals series that begins Monday night.
He will be making his Major League debut when he gets into his first game. He was informed of his promotion Sunday morning and was expected to arrive at Citizens Bank Park by gametime.
Further outfield reinforcements could be on the way. Cristian Pache is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday.
Marsh’s play was reminiscent of Aaron Rowand slamming into the center field fence, which was then unpadded, shortly after Citizens Bank Park opened in 2004. He suffered severe facial injuries and also was placed on the disabled list.
The play became an instant part of Phillies lore especially when Rowand explained his willingness to sacrifice his body by saying, “For who? For my teammates. For what? To win.” It was a clear contrast to Eagles running back Ricky Watters who, after short-arming a catchable pass over the middle, had explained not risking injury to make the play by asking rhetorically, “For who? For what?”
Marsh said he was well aware of Rowand’s spot in Phillies history. “The difference is, he made his catch. I didn’t make mine,” he said.