CHICAGO — Brandon Marsh is well-acquainted with the realities of trade deadline day.
He was dealt to the Phillies at the 2022 deadline from the Angels to help fortify their outfield. This time last year, the outfield mix changed again when the Phillies brought in Austin Hays from the Orioles. And with Thursday’s deadline drawing closer, the Phillies are looking at potential outfield upgrades yet again.
The Phillies got an up-close look at center fielder Luis Robert Jr.’s effectiveness against left-handed pitching this week in Chicago, when he homered off Cristopher Sánchez in the series opener. Robert is one of the top outfielders on the market.
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The possibility of new faces in the outfield puts players like Marsh in limbo, since they don’t know what their roles will look like once 6 p.m. passes on Thursday.
Marsh said he isn’t focused on it.
“You always bet on yourself,” he said. “But I’m not worried about that. If something happens, something happens, and we’ll keep going. What matters is winning the series here in Chicago. So it is in the back of everyone’s mind, probably, but we try not to think about it, just focus on the task at hand.”
Marsh had a statement game on Tuesday, with two extra-base hits — a double and a home run, his fourth of the year — and some key defensive plays in center field. He is heating up at a good time. His disastrous April has been in the rearview mirror since he hit .324 in June, but the power seems to be on its way now, too.
“He’s barreling up balls. And when you barrel up balls, the power is going to come because he’s big and strong,” manager Rob Thomson said.
Day off for Realmuto
J.T. Realmuto was out of the starting lineup in Wednesday’s series finale against the White Sox, with Rafael Marchán catching Taijuan Walker instead. Realmuto had played the first five games of the current road trip. With a day off scheduled Thursday, that gives Realmuto two days off his feet.
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This winter, Thomson planned to build in more days off for his 34-year-old catcher. But putting that idea into practice can be tough when Realmuto is hitting as well as he has this month. Realmuto is hitting .354 with seven doubles and two homers in 19 July games. He has driven in 10 runs in that span.
Realmuto already has 89 starts this season, and is closing in on the 99 games he played last year. His 2024 season was shortened by a right knee injury and subsequent recovery from meniscectomy surgery. Even so, that offseason idea of scaling him back has not really materialized.
If Realmuto continues swinging a hot bat, is Thomson comfortable with continuing to roll him out as much as he has been?
“All depends on how he feels,” Thomson said. “And I certainly have confidence in Marchán, too. So I think we’re in a good spot if we need to give him a couple days.”
Extra bases
After a rain delay of more than three hours before Wednesday’s game, Max Kepler was scratched from the lineup with a left triceps strain. Johan Rojas started in center field and Marsh moved to left. David Robertson threw a scoreless inning for triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday as he continues his ramp-up to join the Phillies. He allowed one single and topped out at 90.7 mph. … Andrew Painter started for the IronPigs on Wednesday and allowed one run on seven hits over 6⅓ innings. He threw 103 pitches, walked two, and struck out four. … Ranger Suárez (8-4, 2.59 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday against Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty (6-10, 4.51).