The Latest Breaking News from Ranger Suárez

PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper circled the bases, nice and slowly for a change.

CHICAGO — Last week, Rob Thomson said the Phillies planned to turn center field into “more of a platoon.” But they faced a righty starter in six consecutive games since then, so the manager kept writing Brandon Marsh’s name in the lineup.

PHILADELPHIA — At their lowest point, on June 2, the Phillies were 25-32 and eight games out of first place. Then they went on a 13-2 roll, and when the week began, they were ... eight games out of first place.

PHILADELPHIA — It’s never a good sign when a position player takes the mound. And on Friday night, in the ninth inning of a 10-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs, Phillies infielder Kody Clemens took the ball from Andrew Bellatti. It was not a quick and painless outing. Clemens was…

PHILADELPHIA — Another day, another hitting session for Bryce Harper against a live pitcher followed by more ground balls at first base.

CINCINNATI — After breaking his left thumb and missing a total of 58 days last year, Bryce Harper made 10 plate appearances in two Triple-A games, cut off his minor league assignment, and rejoined the Phillies’ lineup.

NEW YORK — A few hours before game time, Brandon Marsh took stock of the energy around the Phillies clubhouse. They were 0-and-4 to start the season, but he wasn’t too concerned.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The good news is that Taijuan Walker says he’s ready to give the Phillies some serious innings. The bad news? They’re probably going to need more than he can offer.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Three hours before Game 6 of the World Series, with a potential Game 7 start looming the next night, Ranger Suárez stepped on the field in Houston wearing not a red Phillies shirt but rather the navy and gold crest of the Union.

Let’s not kid ourselves. The biggest story of Phillies spring training is the 19-year-old who could end up in the starting rotation when the season opens March 30. But, then, you knew that. So, let’s give Andrew Painter a break and take a look at the three other plot lines…

It’s hard to add a legitimate playoff-caliber rotation piece for a reasonable price. We saw that at the trade deadline this past August, when the Phillies were unable to make a serious play for a starting pitcher who might have made a difference in the postseason. We saw that on…