Ranger Suárez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (back) is not expected to return before the end of April, according to Jeff Kerr of CBS News. Manager Rob Thompson noted that the southpaw still needs "at least" more than one rehab outing to continue to build his pitch count. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression, but it appears the southpaw will not be in contention to return to action till at least May. So far, the 29-year-old has logged seven rehab innings (across two outings) and held a strong 1.29 with a 0.70 WHIP. He has posted a near-perfect 11:1 K:BB. When Suarez does eventually return to Philadelphia, he will likely push Taijuan Walker to the bullpen. Last summer, Suarez was effective when on the bump, holding a 3.46 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (back) was effective on the mound during his rehab start with High-A Clearwater on Thursday. The left-hander tossed three scoreless innings, allowing one hit, and striking out four batters. This was the first appearance for Suarez since he landed on the injured list due to a lower back issue. Luckily, it doesn't sound like Suarez is going to need too many more rehab outings before rejoining the big league club. The hope is that Suarez can return to the starting rotation by the end of the April. Fantasy managers looking for pitching help might want to consider stashing Suarez.

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez (back) will start a minor-league rehab assignment and will pitch three innings for Low-A Clearwater on Thursday, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb. It will be Suarez's first game action since he was shut down in mid-March in spring training with lower-back stiffness. The 29-year-old southpaw will need at least several more rehab starts on the farm before he's a candidate to make his 2025 regular season debut in the big leagues, which will likely come in early May. The Venezuelan hurler also missed extensive time in 2024 with a back injury and wasn't as sharp when he returned, but he still finished with a serviceable 3.46 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 145:41 K:BB in 150 2/3 innings over his 27 starts. When healthy, Suarez is worth rostering in all fantasy leagues as a ground-ball pitcher, but his below-average 21.8% strikeout rate leaves little in the way of upside.

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez (back) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session on Saturday in Clearwater, Florida, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. It's a big step for Suarez, as it will be his first time facing live hitters since he was shut down with lower-back stiffness in spring training camp in the middle of March. If the 29-year-old southpaw is able to avoid a setback with his back this weekend, the Phillies will likely clear him to go on a minor-league rehab assignment. Suarez will likely need several rehab starts, which means he could rejoin Philadelphia's big-league starting rotation and make his season debut by the end of April. He missed around a month in 2024 with the same injury and wasn't the same pitcher the rest of the way after posting a 1.75 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in his first 15 starts. Suarez is a ground-ball pitcher that lacks a ton of fantasy upside with a below-average career strikeout rate.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (back) could face live hitters by the end of this week. His recovery from back stiffness seems to be going well, with the next step after batting practice likely to be a minor-league rehab assignment. If all goes well, he should be able to return by the end of April. He'll be looking to build on his breakout 2024 season, where he posted a 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 150 innings. Once healthy, he will most likely take Taijuan Walker's spot in the rotation.