The Philadelphia Phillies traded for Luis Arraez to make their lineup deeper when they reached the MLB playoffs.
But now in the postseason, and facing elimination on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies don’t even have Arraez available to play for them.
It’s an unfortunate reality, and it’s one the Phillies are going to have to navigate if they want to see Arraez put on their uniform again.
The Phillies lost the NL Wild Card Series opener on Tuesday to the Braves when Austin Riley hit a go-ahead home run for Atlanta in the eighth inning.
In a best-of-three series, it’s Wednesday or bust for the Phillies.
Arraez will only be able to watch and hope he gets another chance before Philadelphia’s season is over.
And given that Arraez’s contract expires after this season, he may never play for the Phillies again if they lose on Wednesday.
When is Luis Arraez Coming Back?
There’s no real clarity on Arraez’s return timeline yet.
The veteran sprained his left ankle on Thursday, Sept. 24, while running on the bases. He went down in a lot of pain and had to essentially be carried off the field.
The Phillies left him off of the NL Wild Card Series roster. Otto Kemp, a utility player with a great old-school baseball name, is on the roster for this series in Arraez’s place.
“We still get improvement every day, but not enough,” Mattingly told reporters on Monday about Arraez. “He was going to try to hit today and just wasn’t able to do it. So, we kind of crossed that bridge today.”
Arraez hadn’t swung a bat yet as of the time Mattingly spoke to reporters on Monday.
The contact wizard was also seen with a boot on his foot during the Phillies’ celebrations on Sunday after they clinched a playoff spot.
Arraez won’t be eligible to play against the Braves in the Wild Card Series since he was left off the roster.
That means that he can only play if the Phillies win the best-of-three series in Atlanta.
At that point, the Phillies would get the chance to name a Divisional Series roster. Players can be swapped in and out then, which would allow Arraez back into the mix if he’s ready.
Luis Arraez Stats
Arraez has been solid since coming to Philadelphia. He’s batted .278 with 10 doubles, two home runs and 21 RBI in 46 games.
He had been hitting .324 with the Giants before the trade.
He’s also made major strides as a second base defensive player in 2026, going from a negative there to a clear positive — although a sprained ankle might not help.
Arraez had settled into the cleanup spot for the Phillies — a very new-age decision to put the best contact hitter on the team at the 4-spot in the batting order. It was mostly working, though, and Philadelphia has to win without Arraez to give him another chance to get back in the lineup.
When is Luis Arraez Coming Back? Injury Return Timeline for Phillies’ Second Baseman