Phillies vs Red Sox

Realmuto is eligible to return Saturday and it appears that he is trending towards a return then. The catcher landed on the 10-day injured list April 22 due to back spasms after initially tweaking his back the prior week.

It will be the first time Duran has thrown off the mound since he was sidelined by a left oblique strain two weeks ago. The Phillies are optimistic that Duran will be ready to rejoin the active roster soon, though it's unclear whether he will travel with them to Miami for a series with the Marlins this weekend.

Bowlan landed on the 15-day IL on April 13 due to a right groin strain. He's been throwing bullpen sessions and will now take another step in his rehab by seeing game action. Bowlan is eligible to return from the injured list Tuesday, and it's feasible that he'll be ready to return to Philadelphia's bullpen at that time.

Backhus needed 15 pitches (12 strikes) to get the job done in the first inning, but the Cubs, who have been one of the best offenses in the majors over the last 10 days, still found a way to score against him. Backhus should return to his regular role in the bullpen moving forward and has been pitching well of late, tossing four scoreless outings over six appearances this month, with a 2.45 ERA across 7.1 innings.

Lazar has been out all season with a left oblique strain he suffered during the World Baseball Classic while playing for Team Israel. He is on the 60-day injured list and not eligible to return until late May, so Lazar will make several rehab appearances before the Phillies consider adding him back to their active roster.

Andrew Painter had been lined up to start the series finale, but Pop will take the hill to begin the game after Painter was a late scratch due to a migraine. Pop hasn't covered more than an inning in any of his appearances in spring training nor during any of his six relief outings so far during the regular season, so he's not expected to provide the Phillies with much length in his first MLB start.

Coming off his best outing since Opening Day in Saturday's win over Baltimore -- a seven-strikeout gem over six scoreless innings -- Crochet was surprisingly placed on the IL on Wednesday due to left shoulder inflammation. Though any shoulder injury for a pitcher carries some level of a concern, Crochet indicated that the Red Sox deactivated him mostly as a matter of caution, after the southpaw relayed to the coaching staff that he felt some fatigue during Saturday's outing. While Crochet will continue to receive daily treatment for his shoulder, he hasn't stopped throwing since his last start, which bodes well for his odds of returning from the IL when first eligible May 12. In the meantime, the Red Sox are likely to recall left-hander Jake Bennett from Triple-A Worcester to replace Crochet for two turns through the rotation.

The moves frees up a 40-man roster spot for the addition of Jack Anderson. Oviedo was diagnosed with a flexor strain last week and will remain shut down from throwing for another five weeks, so the transaction doesn't alter his timetable.

Monday marked the first time that Slaten has done any kind of mound work since he landed on the injured list in early April with a right oblique strain. Interim manager Chad Tracy said the right-hander is due to throw another bullpen within the next several days, after which the team will evaluate his progress and potentially determine when he may come back from the IL.

Interim manager Chad Tracy said Tuesday that everything went well during Gray's first round of mound work since his placement on the IL and added that the plan is for the 36-year-old to build up volume during his next bullpen session. Gray will be eligible to return from the injured list May 6 and seems to be on track to return on or shortly after that date.

It's the first time he's thrown a baseball since he underwent a UCL reconstruction and flexor tendon repair six months ago. Houck will continue a deliberate rehab process over the next several months and hopes to make a late-season return, but it's likely the Red Sox will hold him back until 2027.

Burdi made four appearances at the big-league level with Boston in 2025, but he was outrighted off the 40-man roster in August and then joined the Mets on a minor-league deal this offseason. The 33-year-old righty was given the chance to compete for a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen during spring training, but he was cut after yielding two runs in two innings in his two Grapefruit League appearances. Expect Burdi to report to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the season.