Brandon Marsh undergoes arthroscopic knee surgery, out for 3-4 weeks
Philadelphia Phillies’ Brandon Marsh hits a home run during the eighth inning of Game 3 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Brandon Marsh underwent arthroscopic debridement surgery on his left knee Friday morning. The procedure was performed in Philadelphia by Dr. Steven Cohen.
Arthroscopic debridement extracts loose material that may be in the knee joint and can smooth the surfaces inside the knee.
The Phillies say that Marsh is expected to return in three to four weeks and be ready for Opening Day on March 28 against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phils will be relying heavily on Marsh in 2024, so this unexpected news is less than ideal.
The injury will presumably sideline Marsh until around the midpoint of spring training the Phillies will probably take it slow with him with his importance to their outfield. In the long term, this should not be a major issue. It may take Marsh a bit longer to get up to speed when he returns to the field, but it is a 162-game season for a reason.
Marsh is the projected starter in left field with Nick Castellanos in right field and will allow Johan Rojas the opportunity to win the starting center field job. If Rojas does not hit in spring training Marsh could return to center and take over that spot until Rojas shows enough in Triple-A. It is also possible that this surgery boosts Rojas’ chances of starting on Opening Day.
This may also elevate the need the Phillies have for adding another veteran outfielder. All winter the club has opposed bringing in someone different from what they already have, but with Marsh about to miss a month of camp with the team’s need for a hotter start to the season, maybe an outside outfielder could be brought in to help.
