PHILADELPHIA — Ranger Suarez couldn’t dodge the liner off the bat of Ryan Jeffers Saturday night. But he’s hopeful that he’s dodged a serious injury.
Suarez left his final start of the regular season in the fifth inning when he was struck by Jeffers’ liner. The team termed it an inner left thigh contusion, with the ball missing anything more sensitive or injury-provoking in that area.
Suarez said the ball, which came off the bat at 106 miles per hour, caught “all muscle” and that he’ll be fine.
“Yeah, I mean, aside from getting hit by that liner,” Suarez said via a translator as to why he was smiling on the field as he exited. “That wasn’t what I wanted today.”
Suarez was at 82 pitches through 4.1 innings in what became a 5-0 loss to the Twins. He exited the game after trainers evaluated him on the field.
“It was a little scary at the time the way he kind of hunched over,” manager Rob Thomson said. “I thought it got his hand or something. But Ranger said it got all muscle.”
Thomson postgame confirmed that Trea Turner will be activated for the season finale Sunday and start at shortstop. Turner was placed on the injured list Sept. 8 with a hamstring strain. The explicit goal was to return in time for the playoffs, which will open next Saturday. But Thomson and Turner expressed a desire to get some at-bats during the regular season to test the hammy.
“He’s wanting to play, one,” Thomson said postgame. “And the trainers deemed him healthy.”
Thomson doesn’t necessarily expect Turner to play the whole game.
Turner will have a chance to finish off a batting title, hitting .305 to lead the National League. He was leading the NL in hits when he went down, though his 179 has been passed by San Diego’s Luis Arraez (181).
