The Philadelphia Phillies got tough injury news on left-hander Jesus Luzardo. He’ll head for the 15-day injured list, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. That effectively ends his season, although interim manager Don Mattingly did not rule out a postseason return.
That’s tough news for the Phillies, who are fighting for home postseason games. They enter play on September 15 with identical 83-67 records with the Chicago Cubs, with the Cubs owning the tiebreaker.
Luzardo finishes his 2026 season with a 14-5 record and a 2.87 ERA. He recorded his third season of 29 starts, 200 strikeouts, and 178 innings. The left-hander was named a National League All-Star for the first time in his career and should finish in the Top 5 in for the NL Cy Young Award voting.
As the corresponding move, the Phillies have recalled right-handed reliever Grant Holman. Holman was optioned ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the Atlanta Braves. Since he’s replacing an injured player, he did not need to spend the required 15 days on his optional assignment.
The Phillies later announced the roster move. Luzardo’s IL stint is backdated to September 12.
Jesus Luzardo’s Regular Season Ends with IL Stint
Luzardo was scratched during their series against the Atlanta Braves, which was a concerning update on baseball’s hottest starting pitcher. The left-hander was coming off a complete-game shutout of those same Braves. It ended up being left shoulder discomfort.
The Phillies got an MRI of Luzardo’s left shoulder, which revealed no structural damage. They planned to re-evaluate him between the Braves and Nationals series. However, the left-hander was not well enough to stay in the rotation.
Luzardo’s spot in the rotation will come up again during their series against the New York Mets. Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler will start their two-game series against the Washington Nationals. The Phillies may end up doing another bullpen game.
Philadelphia has two potential 40-man options in play. The first is Alan Rangel, who’s appeared with the club before this season. The right-hander is currently in Triple-A and is eligible to be recalled.
Another option is left-hander Nestor Cortes. Cortes signed a deal with the Phillies in August and is ramping up in Triple-A.
The best-case scenario for the Phillies will be for Luzardo to be available for the Wild Card Series. But to do so, he probably won’t pitch again during the regular season.
Phillies Postseason Rotation Impacted by Jesus Luzardo Injury News
The Phillies are almost certain locks to make the postseason, but the Luzardo news really messes up their rotation. They’ll have to make some adjustments to get Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez lined up for Games 1 and 2.
Wheeler is on track to start on September 16, 22, and 27 on normal rest. Preferably, the Phillies would like to have their postseason fate determined before the season finale. That would allow them to push Wheeler back to Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.
Moving Sanchez around won’t be as tough. The Phillies can start him on four days’ rest on September 20 and 25. That’s possible due to the off-day on September 21. That would put him in line for Game 2 of the Wild Card series.
That leaves the third healthy starter for the Phillies, Aaron Nola, to account for. How the Phillies set up Nola, who’s allowed three runs in his last 13.1 innings, is critical for projecting the Wild Card Series. There’s a strong possibility he ends up being their Game 1 starter.
Phillies Rotation Gets Tough Jesus Luzardo Injury News Before Nationals Series