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Some good news on the injury front for the Phillies.  Starting pitcher Ranger Suarez took a big step toward returning to the rotation with two dominating innings in last Tuesday night's rehab start for Triple A Lehigh Valley -- and then followed things Sunday with a longer (and just as effective) outing.
(Below)  Simón Muzziotti's path to Philadelphia is blocked by Brandon Marsh's breakout season.  So, barring injury, the Venezuelan outfielder is more likely to be included in a mid-summer trade package come July.  He's certainly opening eyes so far in 2023 -- hitting a nifty .381 with 17 RBI out of the leadoff spot for Lehigh Valley. He had three hits last Tuesday night when I saw the Iron Pigs visiting Syracuse.

With the Mets also struggling in the early going, don't be surprised to see Ronny Mauricio promoted soon.  The Dominican-born shortstop has moved to 2nd base (thanks to Francisco Lindor's mega-contract) and has really upped his game compared to 2022.  Six homers, 19 RBI and a .333 average -- while dropping his strikeout rate from 25 percent to 20.
(Below) The only bat hotter than Mauricio's in Syracuse belong to Mark Vientos -- who's already reached double digits in home runs.  Pair that with a .339 average and an OPS of 1.121, and you get the sense that he'll soon be back in Queens.
Finally, a rather public example of buyer's remorse:
Just six weeks after free agent prize Willson Contreras made his Cardinals debut (on a five year contract), the club announced that he'd no longer be its regular catcher.  While trying to replace Yadier Molina was going to be a tall order, giving up on the former Cubs star so quickly has to be one of the biggest surprises of the year.  
Any pitching staff will take time to adjust to a new catcher -- but isn't that what Spring Training was for?
At 11-24, and dead last in the division that they won a year ago, the St. Louis front office has plenty of questions to answer and problems to solve.  Pointing too many fingers publicly at one player -- who is stepping in for a likely future Hall of Famer -- doesn't seem the ideal way to start a turnaround.

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