Philadelphia Phillies Reliever Dealing With Shoulder Issue, Opening Day Status Murky

The Philadelphia Phillies could be without their star reliever for Opening Day since he's dealing with a shoulder issue.

Feb 27, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm (25) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees during the third inning at BayCare Ballpark | Dave Nelson-Imagn Images

One area the Philadelphia Phillies couldn't afford to be down a man, let alone an impact player, is in their bullpen.

Jordan Romano and Joe Ross are the one-for-one replacements for the departed Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez, but after the relief staff imploded during the playoffs last year, there are questions about the viability of this unit since they appear to have gotten worse on paper.

That's why the news surrounding Matt Strahm is less than ideal.

Paul Casella of MLB.com reported that the left-hander is dealing with a "little bit of a sore shoulder." And while the Phillies say the tests have come back clean and nothing is wrong, there is some concern he might not be ready for Opening Day.

Strahm spoke with NBC Sports Philadelphia about this shoulder issue, saying he "I hope so" when asked if he'll active for the start of the season after being told to rest by the medical team.

That's not necessarily a firm statement about being ready for Game 1.

The good news is Philadelphia doesn't believe this is serious and rest should help the problem.

But that means they could also be without their key reliever for the beginning of the season depending how his body reacts to the rest and if his arm is built up enough to pitch in a Major League game.

This will be something to monitor throughout the rest of spring training prior to Opening Day.

Strahm is coming off the best year of his career, earning his first All-Star nod and finishing with a 1.87 ERA across his 66 outings.

The Phillies need that type of production from the lefty again, whether he's ready for the start of the season or not.