Matt Strahm dealing with a ‘little bit of a sore shoulder’

Update March 10 at 9:03 ET: Strahm provided this update to MLB.com‘s Todd Zolecki:

Matt Strahm said an impingement in his left shoulder has caused inflammation, but an MRI exam revealed no structural damage. He will not throw until at least Thursday when team doctor takes a look.

Can’t say if he’ll be ready by Opening Day or not. Wants to be smart about it.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) March 10, 2025

Original Story

Though there’s no indication it’s a major cause for concern, Rob Thomson did reveal Sunday that reliever Matt Strahm is dealing with what the manager called a “little bit of a sore shoulder.”

MLB.com‘s Paul Casella provided the details after the Phillies defeated the Baltimore Orioles 12-2 in Sunday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark:

Matt Strahm has a “little bit of a sore shoulder.”

He hasn’t pitched since Wednesday, when his velo was down a bit and he allowed 4 runs in 2/3 IP — but Rob Thomson said tests were clean and there’s no concern.

“Nothing wrong; we’re just going to back him off for a few days.”

— Paul Casella (@Paul_CasellaMLB) March 9, 2025

Strahm has been a valuable weapon for the Phillies over the last two seasons, primarily as a reliever. A year ago, he became the rare non-closer to be selected to the All-Star Game as part of a campaign where he ultimately posted a 1.87 ERA and 2.29 FIP over 66 games.

While the Phillies did add Jordan Romano in free agency, they lost both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez this past offseason, making Strahm that much more of an important piece in the bullpen. Obviously, it’s great news for the Phillies that there are no structural issues with his shoulder, but they’ll be hoping that the soreness subsides in relatively short order. There are 18 days until the Phillies open the season in Washington against the Nationals, and it would obviously be suboptimal if Strahm isn’t available out of the bullpen on Opening Day.