Phillies' Ranger Suarez: Cleared to begin rehab assignment

Suarez (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Clearwater on Thursday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Suarez is slated to throw three innings for Clearwater in what will be his first game appearance since he went down with lower-back stiffness in mid-March. The left-hander will likely require at least two additional rehab starts before rejoining the Phillies' rotation. Taijuan Walker will continue to hold down a rotation spot for Philadelphia until Suarez is ready to return.