Outfielder Roman Quinn could join Phillies as soon as this weekend
Quinn injured his right oblique early in spring training, and the Phillies are unsure if they will progress his rehab assignment to the upper levels of the minors before adding him to the roster.
The next stop for Roman Quinn could be the Phillies, since the team is unsure about continuing his rehab assignment to the upper levels of the minors. He could be added to the roster as soon as this weekend.
Manager Gabe Kapler spoke Monday afternoon to Quinn, who has been with high-A Clearwater since last Thursday and played nine innings there on Saturday and Sunday. Kapler said Quinn, who injured his oblique on his right side early in spring training, is “totally healthy right now” and has his timing and rhythm at the plate.
“We’re talking about what’s better for him. Going to face a little bit better competition? Or with Roman, you think about is it better for him to stay in the warm weather? Health is so important to his success, so we don’t want to expose him,” Kapler said. “Again, he’s not made of glass, so you don’t say, ‘Well, he can’t go play in cold weather.’ We’re just trying to balance all the possibilities at this point.”
The next obstacle is finding the right time to activate him from the injured list. Quinn’s 20-day rehab assignment will end April 24, but it seems the Phillies will bring him in earlier than that. Friday will begin a stretch of 16 straight games without a day off. Kapler said he’s been thinking about that stretch quite a bit.
The Phillies will mostly use Quinn off the bench when he arrives, but they would like to start him once or twice within his first 15 days after being activated. That’s why he’s still in Clearwater, because the Phillies can’t find a place to play him immediately with Odubel Herrera off to a hot start.
But Herrera, even if he’s reaching base at a high rate, will need a day or two during the upcoming stretch and the Phillies will then have their chances to play Quinn.
“We’re thinking about making sure that his timing and his rhythm continue to be good. And that he’s healthy when he gets here,” Kapler said.
Day off for Hernandez
Cesar Hernandez, after a slow start to 2019, rested for the first time this season and was replaced by Scott Kingery in Monday’s lineup.
The Phillies expect Hernandez, who has a .250 on-base percentage in his first 32 plate appearances, to return to second base Tuesday night.
“I’m excited to see Kingery out there,” Kapler said. “It’s definitely just an opportunity to give Cesar a blow and collect himself, both physically and mentally. He’s working on some hip mobility and some shoulder mobility with our strength and conditioning coaches. We just want him to feel loose and athletic, and one of the ways to do that is to just get him off his feet.”
Extra bases
The Phillies, through Sunday, have the third-highest total attendance this season with 242,925 fans coming to their first six games. ... Aaron Nola will make his second-straight start against the Nationals when he faces Stephen Strasburg on Tuesday.
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