Philadelphia Phillies DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm had a nice game on Thursday, going 2-for-3 and hitting his first homer of the season in a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bohm had been struggling a bit to start the year, but with the big performance, he is now up to a .267 AVG and .787 OPS, showing how early we still are in the season. There is no reason to panic yet with the 27-year-old, who should be a solid four-category contributor.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh had another good day at the plate on Thursday in a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marsh went 1-for-3 with his fourth homer of the young season and added a run and two RBI to his line as well. The 26-year-old appears to be finding his groove fourth MLB season, as he is slashing a strong .333/.357/.641 with six runs, four homers, nine RBI, and a steal. He doesn't play every day, but if he continues to hit he might force the Phillies hand. Marsh has some upside and is a decent option in fantasy leagues, especially those with five outfielder spots to fill.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez struck out eight Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, launching six scoreless innings of two-hit ball with two walks en route to his second win during the 5-1 victory. Other than the free passes and a couple of innocuous singles, Suarez cruised through a formidable Pirates lineup that entered the day fifth in the major leagues in runs scored (69). Through three starts, the 28-year-old Venezuelan left-hander owns an excellent 2.65 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and 19:3 K:BB after tossing 15 scoreless innings of Grapefruit League play during spring training. Suarez will be a great streaming option in all season-long fantasy leagues and a popular DFS choice when he takes the mound for Tuesday's scheduled start at home versus the visiting Colorado Rockies, who are hitting only .218 and scoring just 3.4 runs per game over seven outings away from Coors Field so far this year.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays will start on the bench again on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox with Colton Cowser starting in left field and hitting seventh against Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford. Hays has now started on the bench for Baltimore in three of the last five games and continues to lose playing time to Cowser. The 28-year-old has gone just 2-for-26 (.077) with no home runs, two RBI and seven strikeouts in his first nine games after making the All-Star team for the first time in his career in 2023. Meanwhile, Cowser has gone 7-for-15 (.467) with no homers and five RBI in his first nine games. Hays' fantasy stock is clearly on the decline early in 2024, and he's probably going to have to hit his way back into the lineup if Cowser remains healthy.

The Philadelphia Phillies are sending right-handers Taijuan Walker (shoulder) and Orion Kerkering (forearm, illness) on minor-league rehab assignments. Kerkering would then be activated sometime over the weekend. Walker will start his rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and will likely make four starts, increasing his pitch count in 15-pitch increments before eventually joining the Phillies' starting rotation. The 31-year-old threw 46 pitches over three innings in a live batting practice session over the weekend and is attempting to return from a right-shoulder impingement he suffered in spring training. The 23-year-old Kerkering got sick in spring training and then suffered a right-forearm strain. When healthy, he'll be a key late-inning bullpen piece for the Phillies but is unlikely to see many, if any, save chances.