LOS ANGELES — It’s that weird time on the baseball calendar when the cliches do not apply. They need not take it one day at a time. The Philadelphia Phillies have a few things to accomplish over the final nine games of the season, but they can begin to think about October. The discussions about how they will arrange their roster have begun.

The first maneuver is rearranging the rotation; Taijuan Walker will start Friday in Arizona, with Walker Buehler serving as his piggyback partner out of the bullpen. It’s a way to evaluate Buehler for a potential October role as a right-handed reliever for the middle of games. And this allows the Phillies to put Cristopher Sánchez on the optimal schedule with Game 1 of the National League Division Series, slated for Oct. 4, in mind.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson would not commit to a postseason rotation; the Phillies have said the specific matchup could be a factor. But the club is fully leaning toward using its three left-handed starters — Sánchez, Ranger Suárez and Jesús Luzardo — as the rotation for the NLDS. It could be in that order. Sánchez and Luzardo are hard throwers, and Suárez is not. It could be beneficial to stick Suárez in the middle as a change of pace.

Luzardo wants a chance.

“It would be amazing for me,” he said. “I’ve always said whatever they need from me, I’ll do, whether it’s a bullpen or a starting job. But I feel like it would be awesome to be a part of that and to get a start in the postseason.”

He delivered another strong seven innings in Wednesday’s 5-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then the Phillies let Luzardo face Shohei Ohtani for a fourth time to begin the eighth. Ohtani homered on a fat 2-2 sweeping slider.

So, it wasn’t perfect. But Luzardo has a 3.16 ERA in his last 10 starts. He is throwing more strikes. His stuff has held as he nears a career high in innings pitched.

“If you told me at the beginning of the year that I’d be throwing 98 (mph) in the eighth, 31 starts in, it would be hard to believe,” Luzardo said. “So, I feel really good.”

By altering this weekend’s rotation, the Phillies can have Sánchez start Tuesday at home against the Miami Marlins, then in Game 162 against the Minnesota Twins. That way, Sánchez will stay on a routine and not go too long between any start.

Buehler remains intriguing, although the Phillies have no plans to use him as a starter in October. When they need a fourth starter — should they advance to the NL Championship Series — it’s probably Aaron Nola.

“I mean, Nola’s never pitched out of the pen,” Thomson said.

This, then, would be the hypothetical pitching staff for a five-game series: Sánchez, Suárez, Luzardo, Jhoan Duran, Matt Strahm, David Robertson, Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks, Tim Mayza, Nola, Buehler and Walker.

Turner’s rapid progress

The Phillies asked Trea Turner to stay behind in Philadelphia so he could focus on his recovery work from a mild hamstring strain, and the club believes he has made significant progress. Turner jogged at 50 percent on Wednesday, Thomson said. He’s been taking grounders and hitting in the cage. The Phillies have been encouraged — surprised, even — by Turner’s pace.

“Great,” Thomson said. “He just continues to have good days.”

Trea Turner is hitting .305 this season, and the Phillies’ priority is to ensure he’s as sharp as possible entering October. (Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)

Now the Phillies have begun to plan for Turner’s return. They could summon a minor-league pitcher to Citizens Bank Park next week so Turner can see live pitching. The Phillies expect Turner to return to the active roster before the regular season ends, but how many at-bats he has in actual games could depend on the race for the batting title.

Turner, who is batting .305, held a sizeable lead when he went on the injured list; the Chicago Cubs’ Nico Hoerner has closed the gap. He’s up to .303. No Phillies player has won the NL batting title since Richie Ashburn in 1958.

The priority, of course, is to ensure Turner is as sharp as possible entering October.

The Phillies have acted with caution on the infield; Alec Bohm needed downtime to heal an inflamed shoulder, so they gave it to him. Bohm, barring any setbacks, will be activated Friday. Edmundo Sosa, who went on the injured list Tuesday with a strained groin, should be ready when eligible on Sept. 23.

A roster dark horse

There is a scenario in which the Phillies carry a player who is not on the active roster. The team would be comfortable with 12 pitchers in a five-game series, Thomson said, and that would offer it an extra hitter.

It makes sense to consider Johan Rojas.

The Phillies demoted Rojas to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after acquiring Harrison Bader at the trade deadline. Rojas has benefited from regular at-bats in the minors; his playing time was sporadic in the majors. Regardless of what Rojas can or cannot do at the plate, he’d give the Phillies elite speed and defense for late-game playoff situations.

His presence could help the Phillies avoid a risky situation like the one Thomson chose Monday night. He told Nick Castellanos he would pinch hit for Brandon Marsh in the eighth inning of a tie game. But before that spot in the lineup came to bat, Bryce Harper launched a go-ahead home run. When ahead, it would have made more sense for Thomson to prioritize defense over offense. That would have meant keeping Marsh in the game.

Instead, Castellanos still hit. He hit a weak liner to first base, then went to play right field in the bottom half of the inning.

Thomson chose not to pinch hit for Max Kepler earlier in the game when Dodgers lefty Jack Dreyer was on the mound. Against another lefty, Alex Vesia, Thomson said Castellanos was a better matchup.

“I was trying to get an extra run, really,” Thomson said. “And I’d already told him he’s hitting.”

The last part might be the most important; in Thomson’s mind, it wasn’t worth the headache to call back Castellanos. But, come postseason time, the manager could have it both ways if the Phillies carry Rojas. He could use Castellanos as a pinch hitter late against a lefty, then replace him in the field with Rojas.

This scenario would mean only one spot for Weston Wilson or Otto Kemp; Wilson has hit higher velocity and is a better defender.

Castellanos has a .580 OPS since July 1. That ranks 182nd out of 184 hitters with at least 200 plate appearances in that span.

Strahm’s landmark

With his scoreless inning in Monday’s game, Matt Strahm all but triggered a vesting option that will pay him $7.5 million in 2026. Strahm must pass a physical exam after the season to guarantee the money.

There are 53 lefty relievers with at least 100 innings pitched from 2023 to 2025. Strahm has the second-best ERA, 2.49, among them. Only Aroldis Chapman and Tanner Scott have accumulated more WAR, according to FanGraphs.

It was notable that Strahm did not face Ohtani in this three-game series. Since joining the Phillies, Strahm has held Ohtani to a single in five at-bats. He has struck him out twice. That matchup would loom as one of the most important if these teams are to meet again in October.

(Top photo of Jesús Luzardo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)