Ranger Suárez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

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.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (back) will head to the injured list to start the season, said manager Rob Thomson. Taijuan Walker will fill in as the fifth starter in the meantime. Suarez has recently dealt with back stiffness, and while it doesn't seem to be a serious injury, it will hold him off of the Opening Day roster. He enjoyed a breakout 2024 campaign, posting a 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 145 strikeouts in 150 innings. He did a great job at limiting hard contact, allowing a 5.1% barrel rate (88th percentile) and 53.2% ground ball rate (90th percentile). He should be a useful fantasy option for the back end of rotations following his return from the injured list.