Phillies testing the limits of roster management with so many injuries

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The Phillies are down three middle-of-the-order bats for Sunday’s series finale against the Blue Jays.

Bryce Harper is out with a sore right shoulder.

J.T. Realmuto is out with a sore left hand.

Didi Gregorius is out with a sore right elbow.

Not good.

Fortunately for the Phils, they are off Monday so it’s an extra day for all three players to get healthy for a six-game homestand against the Marlins and Red Sox.

Harper exited Saturday’s game after two at-bats with the shoulder issue. He's day to day.

Realmuto was pinch-hit for by Andrew Knapp in the eighth inning. He missed a couple of games two weeks ago with a contusion in the same area, the result of his trying to block a pitch in the dirt.

Gregorius has missed four straight games with the elbow issue. It is the same elbow he had surgically repaired in 2018, but Gregorius says the UCL is not the problem. He has swelling in the elbow which makes it difficult to swing a bat. 

The Phillies have, so far, tried to avoid an IL stint with Gregorius, but they’re severely undermanned at the moment. They have one player available off the bench Sunday: third-string catcher Rafael Marchan.

Of the 13 players the Phillies carried on their opening day roster, nine have already missed time due to injury. The only four who have remained healthy through 40 games are Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm, Andrew McCutchen and Knapp.

They should be well served by having so many off-days over the next six weeks. The Phillies are off nine times between May 17 and the end of June. They average an off-day for every four games played between now and then.

Here's the lineup against Blue Jays lefty Robbie Ray:

1. Andrew McCutchen, DH

2. Jean Segura, 2B

3. Rhys Hoskins, 1B

4. Alec Bohm, 3B

5. Brad Miller, LF

6. Andrew Knapp, C

7. Odubel Herrera, CF

8. Scott Kingery, RF

9. Nick Maton, SS

Chase Anderson, SP

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