Inside The Phillies

Stars Missing From Philadelphia Phillies Lineup Again Amid Injury Concerns

After the extra innings loss on Sunday where a couple of the Philadelphia Phillies stars got the day off, the same pair are missing from the lineup once again.
Brad Wakai|
Apr 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber
Apr 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber | Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

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Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies left South Florida having accomplished their goal of winning the series, but also feeling like something slipped away after not being able to sweep the Miami Marlins.

With Zack Wheeler on the mound, there was a lot of confidence that they'd be able to get it done before heading to face their division rival New York Mets.

Instead, their ace had a rare poor outing and the Phillies dropped the game in extra innings.

Another storyline ahead of that game was two of their stars were missing from the lineup after manager Rob Thomson gave Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto the day off. At the time, this was seen as some standard rest despite there being some injury concerns by way of bumps and bruises.

But, with Philadelphia announcing their starting lineup for Monday's action, those two are once again missing.

Thomson said that Realmuto was dealing with a knee issue, but also said he didn't think it was serious and the star catcher could have pinch hit if needed on Sunday.

With him out of the lineup again, speculation will only increase.

Of course, throughout the course of a long season, managers are always looking for the right time where he can give his everyday players rest.

He probably views these past two games as the best time to do so with their ace on the mound, followed by Cristopher Sanchez who was caught by backup catcher Garrett Stubbs frequently in 2023.

This will now be the third straight game that Schwarber misses following tweaking his back and being diagnosed with lower back soreness, though. Giving their slugger time off when they can so he doesn't make this situation worse is the smart thing to do, especially with Trea Turner already sidelined.

Still, these are some concerning developments for the Phillies after they have enjoyed an incredible start to the year.

Hopefully this is just Much Ado about Nothing and both stars return to the lineup when they feel better, but this is definitely something to continue monitoring.

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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently is the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. He is also a contributor at FanSided, writing about the Philadelphia 76ers for The Sixers Sense. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

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