Whew! Brandon Marsh’s knee injury might not be as serious as it looked originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
CINCINNATI -- There was a sense of relief in the Phillies' clubhouse after Tuesday night's 11-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Center fielder Brandon Marsh appeared to escape a serious knee injury after coming down awkwardly on his left leg and leaving the game in the third inning.
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Marsh was taken for an MRI, which will be read by Phillies doctors on Wednesday morning.
The medical staff on site at Great American Ball Park examined Marsh.
"The doctor here said he thought it was a bone bruise," manager Rob Thomson said.
Marsh injured himself trying to make a leaping catch at the wall on what ended up being a home run by Cincinnati's Jonathan India.
Marsh went to the ground in a heap and appeared to be in considerable pain as Phillies athletic trainer Christian Bermudez rushed to tend to him on the warning track in center field.
After a few moments, Marsh was able to get to his feet and leave the field under his own power. He was noticeably limping and favoring his left leg.
Marsh was in the Phillies' clubhouse after the game. He wore a wrap on his left knee and a look of relief on his face.
"It didn't look pretty but I'm feeling optimistic and spirits are high," he said. "I'm keeping the positive energy. They did some testing right after it happened and had some decent reviews.
"It was a bang-bang play, one of those things where you're going for a ball and kind of have to sacrifice your body a little. I just came down a little weird on it. I was pretty scared at first. But it calmed down a little bit and I'm feeling good."
Marsh was acquired by the Phillies earlier this month in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels. The Phillies picked him up to be their regular center fielder.
If Marsh is out even for a short period of time, it will be a test to a Phillies' outfield already down Bryce Harper. The Phillies will have to use Matt Vierling in center field. He started in left field Tuesday night and moved over to center when Marsh left the game. Regular left fielder Kyle Schwarber is nursing a right calf strain. The Phillies hope to hold him out until Friday.
Nick Maton came off the bench and played left field after Vierling moved to center Tuesday night. Maton is an infielder. He'd played in just two games in the outfield in his minor-league career and none in the majors. Maton made two nice plays in left field and could be back there in Wednesday afternoon's series finale against the Reds. The Phils could also use Garrett Stubbs and Edmundo Sosa for outfield depth.
Thomson said the Phillies would not add a player for Wednesday's game. Thursday is an off day and that will buy the Phillies some time to evaluate Marsh and determine if he needs time on the injured list.
The Phils have two outfielders on the 40-man roster in the minor leagues, Simon Muzziotti and Jhailyn Ortiz. Muzziotti is a pure center fielder who spent some time in the majors early in the season.
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