The Philadelphia Phillies are hoping to get Jesus Luzardo back for the postseason. The left-hander has been shelved due to left shoulder soreness and is currently on the 15-day injured list.
Ahead of their series finale against the New York Mets, Luzardo was seen playing catch in the outfield by The Athletic‘s Matt Gelb. As Gelb notes, that’s a big first step in his return from his injured shoulder.
Big first step for him. Alluded to this possibility in this morning’s story: t.co/vqEaoj2w1w
Luzardo is first eligible to be activated from the injured list on September 27, as his stint was backdated to September 12. It’s unclear if the Phillies will make that roster move before the regular season ends. It’s more likely they’ll carry an extra reliever for the series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Phillies Get Encouraging Jesus Luzardo Injury Update
Being able to play catch was a huge first step in Jesus Luzardo’s recovery from his current shoulder injury. There will be a natural progression to throwing off a mound and trying to ramp up into being a starter.
With the left-hander already shut down from throwing at least a week, it will take just as long to ramp up. It’s unclear how much the Phillies can stretch out Luzardo for the postseason, especially in the early rounds.
For the Phillies to have any chance of making a deep postseason run, they need Luzardo healthy. That becomes more urgent if Philadelphia advances past the Wild Card Series, and they’ll need a fourth starter. Currently, rookie right-hander Andrew Painter would be their Game 4 starter.
The injury first arose when the left-hander was scratched from his scheduled start against the Atlanta Braves on September 12. Even though imaging revealed no structural damage, Luzardo went on the 15-day injured list.
The Phillies have rotation questions entering the postseason. They’ll need to make some changes to get Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez lined up for a Wild Card series. Their third starter for that series could be either Luzardo or Aaron Nola, depending on how their final series of the season goes.
Phillies Right Now
The Phillies (85-70) have a four-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks (81-74) for the final Wild Card spot with seven games to play. Their magic number to clinch a postseason berth is 4.
However, Philadelphia is still aiming to host the Wild Card Series. They are a game back of the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres. The Cubs own the head-to-head tiebreaker, so the Phillies will need to pick up two games on Chicago.
Needing a big win, the Phillies will send All-Star left-hander Cristopher Sanchez. Sanchez has lost a bit of ground to Chris Sale in the National League Cy Young Award race, so this start is important on that front.
Philadelphia is more interested in salvaging a split against a Mets team that had been eliminated from postseason contention.
First pitch at Citi Field is set for 1:10 p.m. MST.
Phillies Get Encouraging Jesus Luzardo Injury News Before Mets Series Finale