When Brandon Marsh fell on the warning track in Cincinnati on Aug. 16, it looked like his season might be over. The Phillies’ new center back injured his left leg trying to steal a home run, but despite the ugliness of the scene, he suffered no structural damage.
Marsh was placed on the disabled list two days later with a bone bruise in his left knee and pain in his left ankle. Somewhat miraculously, he healed quickly enough to return to the Phillies roster on Saturday afternoon, only missing the 10-day minimum.
Marsh was back in center field for the Phils, ninth at bat. His temporary replacement, Bradley Zimmer, has been designated for assignment.
Initially, Marsh said he feared the worst. There were some dark thoughts in the moments after the injury.
“He has recovered much better than I ever thought he would,” he said earlier this week.
The Phillies acquired Marsh from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline in exchange for capturing prospect Logan O’Hoppe, who had just cracked Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list. O’Hoppe got off to a good start at Double A in the Angels’ system, hitting .286/.438/.674 with six home runs and 17 RBIs in 14 games.
Marsh, acquired primarily on defense, hit .250/.294/.313 in 34 plate appearances with the Phillies.
Here’s Saturday’s Phillies lineup against Pirates right-hander Tyler Beede:
1. Kyle Schwarber, LF
2. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
3. Alec Bohm, 3B
4. Bryce Harper, DH
5. JT Realmuto, C
6. Nick Castellanos, RF
7. Bryson Stott, SS
8. Jean Segura, 2B
9. Brandon Marsh, FC
Kyle Gibson, PS
Subscribe to Phillies Talk: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Embroiderer | Art19 | Watch on YouTube
