Grapefruit League play begins for the Phillies on Saturday and Rob Thomson laid out the pitching plans for the first four games.
As he'd said previously, left-hander Kolby Allard will start Saturday in Dunedin against the Blue Jays and Aaron Nola will start the spring home opener Sunday against the Yankees. Each is expected to pitch two innings.
David Buchanan will start on Monday and Cristopher Sanchez on Tuesday. The games are against the Red Sox and Twins in Fort Myers, a 140-mile trip from Clearwater.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
For as good a season as he had in 2023, Sanchez barely had a spring training. He pitched just three innings because of triceps soreness and then ramped up slowly. He enters this camp in a completely different spot — healthy, confident and knowing his rotation spot is solidified.
Injury updates
• Alec Bohm will not play until at least one of the Fort Myers games. He's dealing with neck spasms.
• Third-string catcher Rafael Marchan is dealing with a lower back injury. "It's just precaution, shut him down and see if we can calm it down," Thomson told reporters.
Philadelphia Phillies
• Brandon Marsh, who underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee on February 9, ran on Friday without a wrap on the knee.
"They told him to go 60 percent," Thomson said. "I said if that's 60 percent, you're a world-class runner."
The team put a 3-to-4-week timetable on Marsh's return on the day of the surgery and expects him to be ready for Opening Day on March 28 in Philly.