Phillies Outfielder Boosting Team's Offensive Performance Since IL Return

The Philadelphia Phillies have had their starting center fielder back for a week now, and his strong performance has helped lead the team.

May 3, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh (8) hits an RBI double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

To be fair, the Philadelphia Phillies have not been bad in 2025. But their 23-16 record, and sitting 1 1/2 games behind the New York Mets, has been a bit disappointing, to say the least.

Center fielder Brandon Marsh's season started out disappointing as well, but far worse. Through his first 17 games this year, from Opening Day on March 27 through April 16, the lefty batted just .095/.220/.167 with one home run and five RBI across 51 plate appearances.

It led many in the fan base to call for his removal from the starting role, despite how good he has been for the team throughout his tenure with the Phillies.

After the game on April 16 against the San Francisco Giants, Marsh was placed on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain. 17 days later, he would return, and in the week since, the team has reached another level, thanks in large part to his strong offensive performance.

Brandon Marsh Proving He is Starter Since Return from IL

Since Marsh's return, Philadelphia has played seven games, two against the Arizona Diamondbacks, three against the Tampa Bay Rays, and, at the time of writing, two against the Cleveland Guardians. Marsh has appeared in six of those, as manager Rob Thomson still platoons him and Johan Rojas in center field.

In Marsh's six contests since returning from the injured list, he has batted .467/.500/.667 with three RBI across 16 plate appearances. The Phillies have gone 5-1 in those contests.

That stretch includes three multi-hit games and a 4-for-8 stretch with two doubles and two RBI over his last two games. It is a small sample size, but the bearded outfielder is proving why he is on this ball club.

It will take a little bit longer to make his season stats look more palatable, but his current hot stretch has seen it rise to a .193/.288/.298 mark with the one home run, eight RBI, and a 65 OPS+ across 67 plate appearances in 23 games. It is far better than it was when he went on the injured list.

Marsh has been a major catalyst for the team's success during his tenure in Philadelphia, and that rings even more true over this current stretch. The outfielder is a spark plug for the offense, and once he gets going, he can be the best offensive outfielder on the roster.