The Phillies were hoping for progress. What they got instead was another setback.
Right-hander Aaron Nola underwent an MRI this week that revealed a stress reaction in his right rib cage, manager Rob Thomson told reporters Tuesday. That diagnosis means Nola will be shut down from throwing for at least two weeks, pushing any potential return past the All-Star break.
It's another turn in what's become a frustrating season for a pitcher who, not all that long ago, was being talked about as a cornerstone of the rotation for years to come.
Nola, 31, has already missed time with a sprained right ankle suffered during agility drills on May 8 in Tampa. That was supposed to be a short-term issue. But then came the stiffness in his side, which surfaced last week in Toronto and scrapped a scheduled live batting session. The Phillies called for imaging. The news wasn’t good.
This season was supposed to be different. Nola, freshly signed to a seven-year, $172 million deal in the offseason, had a clean slate and a staff that looked, on paper, like one of the deepest in baseball.
Instead, Nola has pitched to a 1-7 record and a 6.16 ERA over nine starts — hardly the encore performance the club envisioned after last October’s playoff run.
And now? The rotation reshuffle continues.
Enter Mick Abel, the 23-year-old right-hander and 2020 first-round pick, who was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley last week. All he’s done in his first two big-league starts is post a 0.79 ERA, offering a glimpse of the talent the Phillies have long believed in. He’s scheduled to make his third start Tuesday night against the Cubs.
In the meantime, the Phillies will lean even harder on Zack Wheeler, along with lefties Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, and Jesús Luzardo. It's a capable group, but make no mistake, this team was built with Nola as a pillar, not a passenger.
Since debuting in 2015, Nola has started more games (235) than any Phillies pitcher not named Steve Carlton. He's 105-86 with a 3.78 ERA over 11 seasons, an All-Star once, a Cy Young finalist once, and the kind of innings-eater teams rarely let walk away. That’s why Philadelphia didn’t.
But now they’ll have to wait. Again.
And hope, again, that the next update brings better news.
