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Mercado is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Just as Rob Thomson suggested would be the case shortly before Spencer Turnbull's (lat) placement on the 15-day injured list Thursday, Mercado is the next man up in the Philadelphia rotation. He should stick around as the Phillies' No. 5 starter at least until Taijuan Walker (finger) is ready to come off the IL, as Turnbull is projected to miss 6-to-8 weeks and won't factor into the rotation mix anytime soon. The 25-year-old Mercado made his a one-inning relief appearance in his MLB debut last week, but he had been operating as a starter at Triple-A Lehigh Valley prior to his June 23 call-up and shouldn't be facing any major restrictions with his pitch count Tuesday. Mercado -- who has posted a 1.71 ERA and 44:23 K:BB in 47.1 innings at Triple-A this season -- lines up for a two-start week, with his second outing set to come next Sunday in Atlanta.
