h716a5.icuPhiladelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola is headed to the 15-day injured list with a right ankle sprain, the team announced on Friday.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters that Nola's right ankle sprain occurred before the team's series against the Cleveland Guardians, which started on May 9. Thomson said that Nola sprained his ankle while doing agility work in the outfield, via Luke Arcaini.
It sounds like the Phillies are putting Nola on the IL for precautionary reasons, as Thomson said Nola's sprain is "getting better," but the team doesn't want to push it. They want him to feel 100% before returning to the starting rotation.
This is the first time Nola's been on the IL since 2017. Thomson doesn't believe Nola will be away from the team longer than the 15 days scheduled.
Through nine starts this year so far, Nola has posted a 6.16 ERA, a career-worst for him. He's pitched 49.2 innings and thrown 52 strikes, walked 16 batters and has had 59 hits on him.
To fill his spot in the rotation, the Phillies are giving Mick Abel his first MLB start on Sunday vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates and Paul Skenes. Abel is one of the organization's top prospects and currently plays on the Triple A Lehigh Valley team. He will head back to Triple A after his Sunday start as Taijuan Walker is expected to rejoin the starting rotation next week.