CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies will have to wait a bit longer to face Paul Skenes.
The National League Rookie of the Year was scheduled to start for the Pirates on Monday in Clearwater against Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez, but the game was canceled because of inclement weather.
Skenes did not pitch against the Phillies during his rookie year. Monday’s batting order featured more regular starters than is typical for the third game of the spring: Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, Bryson Stott, J.T. Realmuto, and Max Kepler were all scheduled to hit against Skenes.
Turner was also scheduled to get his first leadoff opportunity of the spring, with Schwarber batting second.
“We’re probably going to get [Skenes] during the regular season, and some of the guys just wanted to take a look at him,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
Skenes, 22, put up a 1.96 ERA and 0.947 WHIP across 133 innings in 2024. Two highlights of the right-hander’s arsenal are a fastball that can touch triple digits and a signature “splinker,” a hybrid between a split-finger and sinker that had a 29.3% swing-and-miss rate last year.
Sánchez’s first start of the spring will slide to Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte, Fla. Joe Ross and Seth Johnson will pitch in Dunedin against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.
When the Phillies return to BayCare Ballpark, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo are scheduled to make their first starts on Thursday against the Yankees and Friday against the Red Sox, respectively.
Rojas’ shoulder
Thomson said outfielder Johan Rojas “banged” his shoulder during a headfirst slide while playing in the Dominican Winter League. Rojas has not been throwing as a precautionary measure, and was the designated hitter in the Phillies’ opener against the Tigers in Lakeland on Saturday, when he went 1-for-3 with two strikeouts.
Rojas is scheduled to return to the lineup as designated hitter Tuesday against the Rays. Thomson said Rojas will start throwing in about a week, and expects him to be ready to play in the field by opening day, if he makes the roster.