José Alvarado remains the top reliever in the Phillies pen, but manager Rob Thomson used him against the top of the order in the eighth tonight. He gave up one run, narrowing the Phillies’ lead to two, before Strahm retired the bottom third of the lineup in order in the ninth. It’s Strahm’s 10th career save. He had four for Boston in 2022 and then two and three in his first two years in Philly.

Assuming everything goes well with that session, Strahm would then be cleared to pitch in the Phillies’ Grapefruit League finale on Monday. If he makes it through both of those outings healthy, he’ll be active and in the Phillies’ bullpen for Opening Day next week. While shoulder injuries are always terrifying for fantasy managers, it sounds like Strahm was able to avoid significant injury here and should be ready to go when the regular season kicks off.

The left-hander said he was happy with how Wednesday’s bullpen went but knows that the real test will be tomorrow when he sees how his shoulder recovers from throwing. If he recovers normally then it’s likely he would be ready to throw in a spring training game and be a part of the Phillies’ bullpen for Opening Day. However, he also said the decision is up to the medical staff and he doesn’t want to risk anything if they feel he should take it slow.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson didn’t rule out the possibility of Strahm being ready for Opening Day, but added that he’ll need some time to build up his workload and stamina, which might limit him initially to shorter relief outings. The 33-year-old has been dealing with a shoulder issues this spring, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll miss much time if he requires a trip to the injured list.