Phillies reinstate Brandon Marsh from 10-day IL, have decisions to make in center field

PHILADELPHIA — Brandon Marsh is ready to return from a hamstring strain that interrupted a brutal start to his season.

The Phillies announced Saturday that they reinstated Marsh from the 10-day injured list prior to their evening matchup against the Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. Cal Stevenson was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room on the 26-man roster.

The outfielder aggravated his right hamstring fielding a ball that took a peculiar hop on April 16, landing him on the IL. He made six rehab appearances for Triple-A Lehigh Valley before finding his way back to the big leagues.

The 27-year-old left-handed hitter had been struggling mightily before his injury. Marsh went hitless in the month of April and is still riding an 0-for-31 skid. He’s slashing a dismal .095/.220/.167 with one home run in 17 games in the majors this season.

Marsh entered the year with the hope that he could establish himself as an everyday player in center field, but the results didn’t follow against right-handers or lefties. Meanwhile, Johan Rojas has impressed with the bat in Marsh’s place. The glove-first right-handed hitter is now batting .300/.343/.417 in 23 games. However, he’s made some notable defensive miscues and took an unnecessary risk on the bases near the end of Thursday’s loss to the Nationals.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson spoke with Rojas about the play after he stretched a double into a too-close-for-comfort triple down two runs with two outs in the ninth inning. Rojas didn’t start in Friday’s win — which Thomson said had nothing to do with the previous night’s baserunning — but replaced Stevenson in the eighth inning. Rojas then made an incredible catch as he banged against the angled wall in left-center field in the ninth.

Philadelphia will have some decisions to make regarding the playing time in center field. Thomson wasn’t yet sure how he’ll divvy it up with Marsh back in the mix when asked on Friday.

“I don’t really know,” he said. “But Rojas has played very well, and I like where his swing is at right now. We’ll just have to play it by ear.”

Marsh had to hit a brief pause in the middle of his rehab stint due to some cramping. He resumed play with the IronPigs earlier this week. Overall, he went 6-for-20 with a home run, four walks and eight strikeouts in Triple-A.

He’ll now have the chance to show that he’s healthy and capable of bouncing back. It will be imperative for Marsh to perform. If not, the Phillies could lean more on Rojas or potentially pursue another outfielder for that spot closer to the trade deadline.