Brandon Marsh goes on injured list with ‘mild’ strained hamstring; Phillies don’t expect him to miss much time

Four days after twisting his right leg while retrieving a ball that took a wicked hop in center field, Brandon Marsh still couldn’t run at full speed.

So the Phillies will give Marsh more time to recover.

Maybe his swing will come back, too.

» READ MORE: The Phillies-Mets rivalry has been jolted back to life. What’s in store for the revival in 2025?

Marsh, hitless in 31 at-bats since March 30, went on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring, the Phillies announced Sunday. The move is retroactive to April 17, leaving the center fielder eligible to return next Sunday night against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The Phillies recalled outfielder Cal Stevenson from triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Marsh’s place.

“He wasn’t getting worse; he just wasn’t improving,” manager Rob Thomson said before the series finale with the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. “And he can’t run at 100%.”

Marsh wasn’t in the Phillies’ clubhouse while reporters were present Sunday morning.

Thomson said Marsh will accompany the team to New York for a three-game series against the rival Mets that opens Monday night. He will continue to receive treatment and go through drills.

When Marsh is ready to play, Thomson said he likely will go on a brief minor league assignment before the Phillies reinstate him to the active roster.

The Phillies initially characterized the injury as soreness in Marsh’s knee. But Thomson clarified that the discomfort originates near the back of the knee and runs up into the hamstring.

In terms of severity, Thomson described it as “mild as it can be” and compared it to the low-grade strains that sidelined Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber for nine games apiece last June.

» READ MORE: Phillies’ Bryce Harper not ready to commit to Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic

The Phillies are committed to finding out if Marsh can play every day rather than merely against right-handed pitching. But he’s off to a 4-for-42 start with one extra-base hit (a homer March 29 in Washington), the deepest slump of his career.

So, although there’s never an opportune time for an injury, Thomson conceded that the downtime might enable Marsh to reset his season.

Meanwhile, Johan Rojas will get the majority of the playing time in center field. With the exception of a three-strikeout game early in the week, Rojas has swung the bat well this season. He got three hits Saturday and was 10-for-29 overall entering Sunday’s game.

“He’s making contact, he’s bunting at the right time, he’s using the entire field,” Thomson said. “He’s playing pretty good, so as long as he’s doing that, I think we’ll just keep running him out there.”

Jordan Romano’s rough start to the season hit rock-bottom Saturday when the veteran reliever gave up a career-high six runs against the Marlins.

Could he be tipping his pitches?

Thomson said the Phillies may have identified a potential remedy, though he declined to get into specifics.

“Maybe,” Thomson said. “I mean, you never know. You dig into it, you think you’ve got it. You think you figured something out, and that might not be it. So we’ve got to find out.”

» READ MORE: 'I'm going to be a different player for sure:' On Alec Bohm’s search for perspective amid early-season struggle.

But how? The Phillies signed Romano as a free agent to be a trusted late-inning option. But the former All-Star closer with the Blue Jays has allowed runs in four of his nine appearances and owns a 15.26 ERA.

After dramatic fluctuation in his fastball velocity over his first few outings, Romano’s stuff has been more electric. He actually touched 99.8 mph Saturday and averaged 97 mph.

“I still have confidence in him, sure,” Thomson said. “You have to. It’s good stuff.”

As Romano tries to figure out how to get back on track, the Phillies might prefer to use him in low-leverage situations.

“Possibly,” Thomson said. “The way our bullpen is, there’s some guys that we use today that we can’t use tomorrow. Sometimes it shakes out where it is low leverage. Sometimes it shakes out where you have to use him.”

Taijuan Walker played catch one day after exiting his start after four innings with right shoulder stiffness. The Phillies expect him to make his next scheduled start, although they’ll know more after he throws a bullpen session Tuesday in New York. … Ranger Suárez (back) remains on track to continue his minor league assignment Tuesday at triple-A Lehigh Valley. … The Phillies drew 135,073 fans for the three games against the Marlins. It was their highest attendance for three games since June 2-4, 2012. ... Aaron Nola (0-4, 6.65 ERA) is scheduled to start the opener in New York at 7:10 p.m. Monday against Mets righty Tylor Megill (2-2, 1.40).