BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 21: Ranger Suárez #55 of the Boston Red Sox speaks during a press conference announcing his contract agreement with the Boston Red Sox on January 21, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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The Philadelphia Phillies will be returning next season with most of their roster from last year intact, but don’t tell them they are “running it back.”
Shortly after the team announced its decision to reunite with veteran catcher JT Realmuto, Phillies manager Rob Thomson pushed back on the narrative that they’ve done too little.
“We’re going to have three new relievers. We’ve got a new right fielder,” Thomson said, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Cole Weintraub. “(Justin) Crawford’s going to get every chance to play. We’ve probably got a rookie starting in (Andrew) Painter. We’ve got Otto Kemp. So we’re turning over 20 to 25 percent of our roster. If you think that’s turning it back — or running it back, whatever they’re saying is — yeah, I can’t help it.”
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Still, many Phillies fans can’t help but feel like the team should have made a more dramatic addition, particularly after the New York Mets swooped in and acquired star infielder Bo Bichette.
In addition to Thomson’s laundry list of changes, the Phillies’ two biggest acquisitions were reunions with Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber. And the team also lost a major contributor as starting pitcher Ranger Suarez joined the Boston Red Sox.
It might be tough to watch Suarez take the mound for the Red Sox after he enjoyed many standout moments in his career with the Phillies, including an All-Star appearance in 2024. And when he introduced himself to his new team during a press conference on Wednesday, the Phillies were dealt a significant surprise when he noted, through a translator, that perhaps all of his Phillies’ teammates, organization staffers and fans were pronouncing his name incorrectly.
During his Red Sox presser, Suarez clarified that his first name is actually pronounced “Rahn-her,” which turned some heads among those who followed his career with the Phillies.
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“Alright, so that’s eight-plus years of that one missing us back here in Philadelphia,” Nick Tricome wrote for PhillyVoice.
Throughout his long career with the Phillies, it doesn’t seem to be something that he ever pointed out, as media members and teammates alike went forward with the Americanized pronunciation of “Ranger.”
“That’s what he went by for parts of eight seasons on the Phillies, and there’s no evidence of him ever trying to correct anyone who said it like that,” Tim Kelly pointed out for On Pattison. “He also leaned into it, using Kid Cudi’s ‘Mr. Rager’ as his warm-up song before outings.”
As a result, the Phillies and their fans were pretty surprised by Suarez’s revelation in his first official hours with his new team. But if he’s going to rebrand, this does seem like an opportune time to do so.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2026/01/21/phillies-former-all-star-drops-personal-surprise-during-red-sox-introduction/
