With Cristopher Sánchez back and Ranger Suárez close, the Phillies mull a six-man rotation

Midway through a 12-day stretch in which they have three days off, the Phillies are trying to figure out how to wedge an All-Star starter into a rotation that features five other healthy pitchers.

How’s that for a first-world baseball problem?

Cristopher Sánchez is set to pitch Wednesday night, eight days after complaining of achiness and leaving a start after two innings. A few hours before Sánchez takes the mound, Ranger Suárez will throw a bullpen session, perhaps the final step in his return from spring-training back stiffness.

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It has been presumed that Suárez will step into Taijuan Walker’s spot in the rotation. But Walker has a 2.78 ERA through five starts and will take his next turn Thursday night against the Nationals, manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday. Beyond then, the rotation is unsettled.

Maybe the Phillies could go with six starters for now?

“Possibly,” Thomson said. “We’re kind of walking through that [scenario].”

The Phillies wouldn’t mind building in extra recovery time for Jesús Luzardo after a 102-pitch start Saturday in Chicago, his highest total in a start since last April 20. A revelation with a 1.73 ERA in 36⅓ innings over six starts, Luzardo is already more than halfway to his innings count from an injury-marred 2024 season with the Marlins.

But although slotting in Suárez on Friday night against the Diamondbacks would give Luzardo two more days of rest, it would also mean that Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler would go one week between starts. Wheeler, in particular, doesn’t like too much time off.

There’s an even more important consideration, according to Thomson: A six-man rotation means a seven-man bullpen, which removes one potential relief option.

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“It takes one of your guys out of the bullpen, and you have to have some flexibility with your bullpen arms,” Thomson said. “Those are things we’re always talking about, all the things that can influence the decision whether to go to a six-man or not.”

So much for that old cliché about never having too much pitching.

The Phillies’ starter surplus comes at a time when other contenders are strapped for pitching. The Dodgers, for example, just put Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) on the injured list, where he joins Blake Snell (shoulder), Clayton Kershaw (toe/knee) and Tony Gonsolin (back). Gavin Stone, River Ryan, and Michael Grove are out for the season. Shohei Ohtani isn’t expected to pitch for another few months.

Rival scouts and executives have marveled at the Phillies’ success in keeping their pitchers healthy over the last few seasons. Careful consideration of workloads and rest is a big reason for it.

“We’re very intentional when and if we use guys,“ pitching coach Caleb Cotham said on a recent edition of Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball show. “And we’re OK with not chasing a win today to win a bunch of games down the road. Because the goal is to get to the playoffs by winning a bunch of games and having that double vision.”

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The Phillies could always send Suárez for one more tune-up. He threw 78 pitches Sunday in triple A, his fourth start on a minor-league assignment that is doubling as spring training. Thomson said a few weeks ago that the Phillies hoped to get Suárez to roughly 90 pitches.

But a decision on how to get him back into the rotation is coming, sooner than later.

“Whenever you can get a guy an extra day, I think it’s good for him,” Thomson said. “Because it is a long season. If they stay healthy, they’re going to take down 30, 30-plus starts, so we try to spread it out as much as we can.”

Center fielder Brandon Marsh was seen by team doctors after leaving a triple-A game Sunday with cramping in the strained right hamstring that landed him on the injured list on April 20.

The Phillies don’t believe he suffered a setback.

“He said he feels fine,” Thomson said. “It was just a cramp. We’re just being cautious.”

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Marsh likely will continue his minor league assignment this week, according to Thomson. He was 2-for-11 with six strikeouts in four triple-A games last week.

The Phillies were hoping that the time in the minors would help Marsh to regain his swing. He’s hitless in 31 at-bats, part of a miserable 4-for-42 start to the season.

Top prospect Andrew Painter will stay with low-A Clearwater and make a four-inning start Thursday. He has a 2.45 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 7⅓ innings over three starts. … Facing a lefty starter (the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore) for only the second time in 11 games, the Phillies had righty-swinging reserves Weston Wilson and Edmundo Sosa in the lineup in left field and at second base, respectively. … Sánchez (2-1, 3.42 ERA) will be opposed by Nationals righty Jake Irvin (2-0, 3.19) at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.