Philadelphia Phillies DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Austin Hays (calf) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a calf injury. Hays was held out of the starting lineup on Tuesday due to this injury and will now miss the start of the regular season. Hays signed a one-year contract with the Reds during the offseason. Last summer, the 29-year-old posted a .255/.303/.396 slash line split between time with the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies. He generated a modest .234 xBA with a low 3.5 percent walk rate. When healthy, Hays was expected to be the primary left fielder and was even projected to bat in the cleanup spot. However, while sidelined fantasy managers should expect Blake Dunn or Gavin Lux to have an increased role in left field.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Austin Hays (calf), who was expected to be in the team's starting lineup while batting cleanup on Tuesday for an exhibition game against minor-leaguers, was absent due to a calf injury, according to the team's radio broadcast. It's unknown if the injury will keep him out for Opening Day on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants. Hays went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI in the team's final Cactus League game on Sunday and also hit .310 during spring training. It's unclear when he my have picked up the injury, but with Spencer Steer (shoulder) opening on the injured list, Hays should see plenty of playing time in left field for the Reds to open the year as long as he's healthy. The 29-year-old signed a one-year deal for $5 million with Cincy in the offseason. Hays spent time on the injured list last year with Baltimore due to a strained left calf, so this injury will be worth watching.

Philadelphia Phillies left-handed reliever Matt Strahm (finger) was scheduled to pitch in the team's Grapefruit League game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, but he was scratched du to left middle fingernail irritation after packing in the morning. The issue isn't believed to be serious, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, and Strahm is still expected to make the Opening Day roster. The 33-year-old veteran has also dealt with inflammation in his left shoulder this spring, which has limited him to only two spring training appearances. Despite the lack of action in Grapefruit League games due to his balky shoulder, that also isn't enough of a concern for the Phillies to keep him off the Opening Day roster. However, Strahm could see more rest between outings than usual to open the regular season. He made his first All-Star squad in 2024 and is the team's top high-leverage lefty arm out of the bullpen.

Philadelphia Phillies veteran right-hander Taijuan Walker will open the year as the team's No. 5 starter with left-hander Ranger Suarez (back) opening the season on the injured list. Barring a setback as he ramps back up, Suarez could be ready to return in late April, which means that Walker should see at least a handful of starts. The 32-year-old won't be of much interest to fantasy managers in single-year leagues outside of those in deep NL-only leagues. The former first-rounder really struggled in his second year with the Phillies in 2024, going 3-7 with a career-worst 7.10 ERA (6.94 FIP), 1.72 WHIP, 58 strikeouts and 37 walks in 83 2/3 innings over 19 appearances (15 starts). It didn't help that he missed time with shoulder and finger injuries. If Walker continues to struggle like that again in 2025, he could be a candidate to be released.

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.