PHILADELPHIA — The first curveball of the 2026 season came Saturday morning for the Phillies, with news that Texas starter Jacob deGrom would scratch his start against the Phillies due to neck soreness.

In his place would come Jacob Latz, a lefty. Despite the switch, manager Rob Thomson stuck with his lefty-heavy lineup.

“We’re going to get three lefties in a row here,” Thomson said. “With the day off yesterday, I didn’t want those left-handed hitters going four days in a row without playing. So figured today was probably the best day.”

Texas will wrap the series with MacKenzie Gore on the mound Sunday, the former Washington National a familiar left-hander. The Nationals come to town on Monday for a three-game set, and the Phillies expect to see more southpaws there, leading with Foster Griffin in the opener.

Part of sticking with the stronger lefty lineup was not knowing how long Latz might go.

He started eight games and finished five last year, logging 85.2 innings in 33 appearances with a 2-0 record and 2.94 ERA. He stretched out as far as 67 pitches in the spring, with three appearances of 50 pitches or more, but then worked on a third of an inning in his last spring outing on March 24 after it became clear he wouldn’t get a spot in the rotation.

The Phillies’ Opening Day lineup included five left-handed hitters. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are stacked at second and third, respectively, with a right-left alternation the rest of the way. A righty-heavy lineup would insert Otto Kemp for either Brandon Marsh or Justin Crawford in the outfield and/or Edmundo Sosa for Bryson Stott.

How to stack those guys for the possibility of late-game pinch-hitters is something the Phillies are working through.

“That’s something were going through and something were thinking about,” Thomson said.

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Zack Wheeler (venous thoracic outlet syndrome) was scheduled to toss three innings and/or 45 pitches at Lehigh Valley on Saturday night to start his rehab assignment.

He will throw again for the IronPigs on Friday, then an outing for Double-A Reading the following week before the club reassesses where he’s at.

Orion Kerkering was to throw for the IronPigs on Saturday. The aim is to get the reliever, who is working back from a hamstring strain, a back-to-back later in the week, preferably Tuesday and Wednesday before a third outing on Friday. Thomson said Thursday that they’re aiming for seven or eight appearances for Kerkering to build him up.

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Aaron Nola saw an uptick in his fastball velocity to the 94-95 range while pitching for Italy at the World Baseball Classic, then a decrease to 90-91 in his final spring start.

With chilly temps in the 40s Saturday, Thomson is moderating his expectations of the veteran righty in terms of stuff. But he’s hoping to see Nola pitch like he knows he can, whatever the radar gun says.

“I want to see command,” Thomson said. “With the weather being cool, that might be difficult. The ball’s going to be slick at times. Velocity dipped a little bit in his last spring start. I’m not sure if that’s kind of wrapped up in the WBC or not. Would like to see it click up a little bit, but yeah, command the baseball and change speeds and keep them off balance.”

Nola is coming off a rough 2025 when, hampered by ankle and back injuries, he was limited to 17 starts, a 6.01 ERA and a 5-10 mark in 94.1 innings, his lowest for a 162-game season since his rookie campaign in 2015.

Nola’s fastball was sitting 91-92 early. The first-inning fastball that Corey Seager walloped for a solo home run was 92.3 miles per hour.

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Garrett Stubbs cleared waivers Saturday and was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Stubbs was designated for assignment after losing the backup catching job to Rafael Marchan.

Stubbs has been with the organization since 2022. He appeared in just five games last year for the big-league club. This spring, he began working at other positions in the infield and outfield.