Suárez struck out five, issued two walks and threw 59 pitches (40 strikes). He’s expected to make another rehab start this weekend. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters Suárez will return as a starter, which means Taijuan Walker is most likely headed to the bullpen in early May.

Suárez threw 54 pitches, and was sitting in the 91-92 mph range with his fastball, in his latest rehab outing. The 29-year-old lefty continues to progress towards his season debut after opening the year on the shelf with lower back stiffness. He’ll likely need at least one additional rehab start before he’s ready to return to Philadelphia.

Suárez struck out four batters on the evening, throwing 24 of his 33 total pitches for strikes. His average fastball velocity sat at 92.2 mph on the night — a slight uptick from the 91.8 mph that he averaged during the 2024 season. He’s expected to need two additional rehab starts before he’s ready to rejoin the Phillies’ rotation.

Suárez is expected to throw roughly three innings in his first rehab start and should make it back to Philadelphia’s rotation by late April. The 29-year-old opened the regular season with a trip to the injured list with lower back stiffness.