Ranger Suárez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Philadelphia Phillies left-handed pitcher Ranger Suarez (back) completed a successful 26-pitch bullpen session on Saturday. Corey Seidman of NBC Philly reported that the southpaw still has several steps before he's ready to embark on a rehab assignment. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, but this appears to be a strong start for Suarez as he slowly increases his workload. The Phillies placed Suarez on the 15-day IL due to lower-back stiffness. If the 29-year-old does not face any setbacks, he would be eligible to return later in April. Last season, Suarez posted a 3.46 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP across 150 2/3 innings of work. When the 29-year-old is cleared to return, he will likely replace Taijuan Walker in the starting rotation.

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez (back) stayed back in Clearwater, Fla., to start the regular season but is scheduled to get back on the mound for a 25-pitch bullpen session on Saturday. The Phillies officially placed Suarez on the 15-day injured list on Thursday to start the year due to lower-back stiffness that he started dealing with in mid-March. The 29-year-old southpaw could be able to make his 2025 season debut in late April as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks on an eventual minor-league rehab start. Until then, veteran right-hander Taijuan Walker will occupy a rotation spot in Philadelphia, although he's really only worth using in fantasy lineups in NL-only leagues after an awful 2024 season. When Suarez does return, fantasy managers shouldn't expect another repeat of his strong opening couple months from a year ago.

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that if things continue to progress, that left-hander Ranger Suarez (back) "would pitch sometime in April." "You're talking three weeks or something at least." Suarez, who will begin the 2025 season on the injured list, will need to be built back up again, so if he does make his season debut in April, it will most likely come later in the month. With Suarez out, veteran right-hander Taijuan Walker will open as the No. 5 starter for the Phils. The 29-year-old Suarez got off to a fantastic start in 2024 before fading in his final 12 starts while also dealing with a similar back injury. He gets plenty of ground balls, but he's a soft-tosser that lacks strikeout upside to begin with, so he's taking quite the tumble in fantasy draft rankings with Opening Day just a few days away now that we know he's starting on the IL.