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Phillies' Ranger Suárez Cites Good Health for Recent Success
Phillies' Ranger Suárez Cites Good Health for Recent Success originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The best performing pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies rotation probably isn't who you'd expect.
While Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez have both been their normal selves, the soon-to-be free agent of the group is rapidly driving up his price.
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Ranger Suárez has been nothing short of dominant over the past month. Take away his first start off the injured list, where he allowed seven runs in 3.2 innings, and he has a 1.16 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across seven outings.
His latest success came in the form of seven shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday night, where Ranger struck out six while allowing only four hits. After the game, he gave a simple answer as to what has led to this inspiring stretch.
"Primarily, it's being healthy," Suárez told NBC Sports Philadelphia's Corey Seidman. "I know what I'm capable of when I'm healthy, and I'm capable of doing great things."
Much like last season, Ranger Suárez is throwing like an All-Star in the first half. But will that performance continue the rest of the way?Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Staying healthy has been a major challenge for Suárez. He's been on the injured list five times over the course of four seasons - three of which were because of various back issues. But when when he is at full strength, Ranger can be a very dependable arm.
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Look at 2024, where he pitched to a 2.76 ERA and 1.04 WHIP before the All-Star Break. After that, the back issues popped back up, and he was a shell of himself in August and September.
Now perhaps more than ever, it's imperative that Suárez can continue to pitch every fifth game. Aaron Nola confirmed he has a stress fracture and will likely be out until late July. Taijuan Walker is being converted into a one-inning reliever. Andrew Painter has been roughed up a bit in Triple-A and wouldn't be coming up until after the All-Star Break anyway.
With Philly's starting pitcher depth suddenly running short, they'll hope that Suárez and the rest of the rotation continue to stay locked in and healthy.
Related: Phillies' Zack Wheeler Reveals Retirement Plan
Related: Phillies' Trea Turner Predicted to Hit Career Milestone
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
