Phillies Brandon Marsh had unexpected knee surgery on Friday and hopes to be ready for Opening Day. But what if he isn’t?
According to the Philadelphia Phillies, Brandon Marsh had knee surgery. The Phillies’ outfield roster depth will be tested when spring training gets underway the following week.
The 24-year-old will miss three to four weeks of action, the organization announced. According to this schedule, Marsh would hopefully make his spring training debut around the middle of March. The operation, a left-knee arthroscopic debridement surgery, is the most recent in Marsh’s string of wounds.
Marsh was placed on the 10-day injured list in August of last year due to a bruised left knee, irritation in his shoulder, and a damaged ankle since joining the Phillies.
Per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber, Marsh felt the problem a few days ago while working out. While the origins of the injury are known to be recent, Dave Dombrowski made no references to Marsh having a knee problem during a recent appearance on SportsRadio 94WIP.
How will Marsh’s injury affect the outfield position for the Phillies?
With Símon Muzziotti recently designated for assignment, the outfield lacks depth suitable for the major leagues, so losing Brandon Marsh for an extended period will be difficult. In the unlikely event that Marsh experiences any setbacks in his recuperation, the Phillies would probably settle for a less-than-ideal platoon of Kyle Schwarber, Jake Cave, and Cristian Pache in left field—that is unless they are forced to move for any of the free agent outfielders still available on the market.
Johan Rojas’s bat will likely need some time to develop in the major leagues, but this injury at the right time will highlight the young player’s progress since his awful playoff performance, in which he appeared to be entirely out of his league. A lot is riding on Rojas having a strong spring training at the plate because he is expected to start the season as the starting center fielder.
Could Brandon Marsh’s injury catalyze the Phillies to make a last-ditch effort to sign a free-agency outfielder? That is now very likely to happen.
