Brandon Marsh activated; returns to a Phillies team where Johan Rojas shined in his absence

The Phillies announced Saturday afternoon that they've activated Brandon Marsh from the injured list and optioned Cal Stevenson to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. 

Marsh has been sidelined since April 16 with a right hamstring strain. He returns to the Phillies after going 6-for-20 with a home run and six RBIs during a six-game rehab stint with the IronPigs. 

The 27-year-old will bat ninth and play center field Saturday evening against the Arizona Diamondbacks. While he did seem to get back to hitting like himself during his rehab assignment, Marsh will now resume an 0-for-31 skid at the MLB level. Prior to his injury, Marsh was hitting just .095 with 16 strikeouts and an unsightly .387 OPS. 

In his absence, Johan Rojas shined at the plate — although not always in other aspects of the game — which will make how center field is handled moving forward an interesting storyline. 

Johan Rojas, are you kidding?! 🤯

(Via @PhilsTailgate)

pic.twitter.com/4zop71h8Dn

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) May 3, 2025

A night after Rojas made a tremendous ninth-inning catch to help secure a win over the Diamondbacks, Marsh was very complimentary of Rojas, whose locker is adjacent to his. 

"Rojas is incredible. And I'm not just saying this because he's sitting next to me," Marsh said with a smile. "Rojas is a phenomenal outfielder and player, so yeah, we expect nothing less than him." 

Brandon Marsh: “Rojas is incredible … and I’m not just saying this because he’s sitting next to me.” 😂

(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/K2azerdJII

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) May 3, 2025

Rob Thomson said that it's likely Rojas will be back in the starting lineup Sunday against lefty Eduardo Rodríguez. Does that mean it's essentially a lefty/righty platoon now between Rojas and Marsh in center? 

"Not necessarily," Thomson said. "Rojas is just playing so well. So I'll just pick and choose ... see where we're at on a day-to-day basis." 

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