Marsh (hamstring) to IL; Rojas expected to fill CF void

PHILADELPHIA -- With Brandon Marsh's right leg injury continuing to linger, the Phillies placed the outfielder on the 10-day injured list prior to Sunday's series finale against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park.

Fellow center fielder Cal Stevenson was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Marsh's place on the active roster. Marsh's IL move -- which has been diagnosed as a right hamstring strain -- is retroactive to Thursday.

Though the Phillies were initially confident Marsh would avoid an IL stint, he had not played since tweaking his right leg on Wednesday while trying to field a bad bounce in the outfield against the Giants.

“He wasn't getting worse, he just wasn't improving, and he can't run at 100%,” manager Rob Thomson said before Sunday’s game. “This is the day we can backdate him the furthest, so we decided to do it."

While the Phils are hoping Marsh won't be sidelined much longer than the minimum 10 days, his timeline remains unclear until they see how he progresses with running over the next few days.

It had been a rollercoaster week for Marsh, who was out of the lineup for last Monday's series opener against the Giants due to his ongoing struggles at the plate.

Thomson had suggested that Marsh might get a few days off to clear his head, but the outfielder returned to the lineup the following day -- and drove in a key run with a sacrifice fly in the Phillies' 6-4 victory.

With San Francisco starting a left-hander the next day, Marsh was again not in the starting lineup but replaced Johan Rojas as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and remained in center field. In the top of the seventh, Giants designated hitter Wilmer Flores hit a single to center that took a strange bounce, forcing Marsh to suddenly cut back to prevent the ball from getting past him.

Marsh finished the game, but he sat out Thursday's series finale and each of the first two games against the Marlins with what was initially labeled a knee issue before landing on the IL with the hamstring strain.

“It's the back of the knee, and it runs up into the hamstring,” Thomson said. “As mild as it can be.”

Though the exact timeline for his return is unclear, Marsh will travel with the Phillies on their six-game road trip to New York and Chicago that begins Monday. He’ll continue taking swings and doing his usual drills until he’s able to run at 100%, at which point he’ll be sent out for a rehab assignment.

The hope is that getting some Minor League at-bats will help Marsh return from his injury in a better place with his swing. He’s just 4-for-42 (.095) with 16 strikeouts this season. Marsh has not recorded a hit since March 30, going 0-for-31 with 11 strikeouts in his past 15 games.

In the meantime, the plan will likely be to give Rojas an extended look in Marsh’s absence.

Rojas’ offensive struggles last season contributed to Marsh earning the everyday center-field job this season -- and left Rojas battling just to make the Opening Day roster as the club’s fourth outfielder. But the 24-year-old Rojas has played well in his limited opportunities this season.

He entered Sunday hitting .345 (10-for-29) with a .406 on-base percentage and three stolen bases. Rojas also had a three-hit game on Saturday, including a well-executed bunt -- something the Phillies have been pushing him to do more often dating back to last season.

“He's playing pretty good,” Thomson said. “As long as he's doing that, I think I'd just keep running him out there.”