Philadelphia Phillies DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (neck, throat) is catching and batting cleanup for the Phillies on Wednesday versus the St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Lance Lynn. It's a bit of a surprise that Realmuto is playing in the series finale after taking a dirt ball to the neck/throat area while trying to block an errant pitch from right-hander Zack Wheeler on Tuesday night. The 33-year-old All-Star backstop was in a lot of pain and had to be removed from the game, but he's back in there on Wednesday and should remain in all starting lineups in single-season fantasy leagues. Realmuto has two home runs and four RBI in his first nine games this year but has only one hit in 10 career at-bats against the veteran Lynn.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner went 2-for-3 with a walk and stolen base in Tuesday's loss against the St. Louis Cardinals. The stolen base would be his fourth on the young season. Turner had a slow first week of the season, but has now hits safely five times over his last eight at-bats. Managers should not have ever worried with Turner and he remains of the best options at the shortstop position and in general with his ability to help all across the board. It also does not hurt that he hits near the top of a good lineup. Turner will bring his .295 batting average into Wednesday's series finale against veteran Lance Lynn.

Philadelphia Phillies All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto (neck, throat) was forced to leave Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals early in the seventh inning after taking a bouncing pitch in the dirt from right-hander Zack Wheeler to the neck/throat area. Realmuto was in a lot of pain after the ball went under his mask. He was replaced by Garrett Stubbs in the contest, and we'll bring you any updates on his condition later Tuesday night or Wednesday morning when they get passed along. Before leaving, Realmuto went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts to drop his season average to .273, so it was a rough game all around for the 33-year-old veteran. Even if Realmuto's injury isn't too serious, fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to play in the series finale against the Cards on Wednesday.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola looks to jump-start his season when he squares off with the St. Louis Cardinals and veteran right-hander Lance Lynn in Wednesday's road start. After getting knocked around for 11 hits and six earned runs in his first start of the year versus the vaunted Atlanta Braves offense, Nola launched 5 2/3 innings of two-hit ball for a win during his last time out against the division-rival Washington Nationals. The 30-year-old All-Star right-hander has enjoyed plenty of success against St. Louis in the past, as his 2.50 ERA and 0.80 WHIP over 11 career starts versus the Cards both represent his best marks against any National League team. Most recently, Nola is 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 34 strikeouts in five appearances (23 2/3 IP) against the Redbirds since 2021. Start him with confidence on Wednesday.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Manager Rob Thomson said they want to see Walker reach 100-plus pitches during his rehab assignment before the right-hander rejoins the Phillies' rotation, per MLB.com. Walker will be limited to approximately 60 pitches in his first rehab appearance, so he'll likely need a handful of minor-league starts before getting activated from the injured list. It puts him on course for an early-May return from a right shoulder impingement that limited him to 4 2/3 innings of spring training, but the soft-throwing 31-year-old righty is not the most appealing fantasy stash after generating a 4.38 ERA (4.53 FIP), 1.30 WHIP, and 138:71 K:BB across 172 2/3 frames a season ago. Spencer Turnbull has 11 scoreless innings under his belt so far and will be worth streaming in favorable matchups.