The Philadelphia Phillies salvaged a win in their series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays. However, it proved to be costly, as they could be without reliever Caleb Kilian for a while.
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly told reporters, including Matt Gelb of The Athletic, that Kilian suffered an oblique injury on his final pitch. Mattingly told Gelb that “it didn’t look good.”
This bad news comes after he picked up his first win as a Phillie after pitching the 12th inning. The right-hander was part of the Luis Arraez trade with the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline, with his inclusion saving the deal after it nearly fell apart the night before.
Kilian is likely headed for the 15-day injured list, and a pretty lengthy stay. The right-hander will undergo imaging to determine the severity and give the Phillies a potential estimate on when he’ll return.
Caleb Kilian Suffers Oblique Injury in Phillies Win Over Blue Jays
An oblique injury is going to sideline Caleb Kilian for weeks at a minimum. That means they will be short-handed in their bullpen in that timeframe.
The bullpen had a rough go in the Blue Jays series. They blew leads in the eighth inning in consecutive games to Toronto, with Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering the culprits. Both meltdowns resulted in their last two games going into extra innings.
The time he’ll need to rehab this injury puts his potential return near the end of the regular season. Anything beyond a Grade 1 strain or setback in his recovery puts the rest of his season in jeopardy.
The one fortunate piece of news for the Phillies is that Kilian is a short-burst reliever and won’t need too much of a ramp-up once he’s throwing off a mound again. But while he’s rehabbing the injury, the bridge ahead of Jhoan Duran remains shaky ground.
What adds urgency to this injury news is the National League Wild Card standings. A win keeps the Phillies at least a full game ahead of the San Diego Padres for a Wild Card spot. The club is under a lot of pressure to avoid wasting a year in which they had six All-Stars.
Phillies Reveal Concerning Injury for Caleb Kilian After Blue Jays Win