Philadelphia Phillies shut down Aaron Nola, already on IL, after rib injury
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola suffered another setback in his return to pitching when an MRI showed he has an injury in his right ribcage and will be shut down for two weeks, manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday.
Nola had already been out since early May with a sprained right ankle that was progressing more slowly than expected. He experienced stiffness in his right side last week in Toronto and that wiped out a planned session against live batters.
Nola underwent testing this week and had what the Phillies called a stress reaction in his right ribcage. Thomson said ahead of Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs that Nola was unsure how the injury had occurred.
Nola is 1-7 with a 6.16 ERA in nine starts. Nola, who signed a $172 million, seven-year contract ahead of the 2024 season, injured his ankle on May 8 during pregame agility drills when the Phillies played the Rays at Steinbrenner Field.
Nola is 105-86 with a 3.78 ERA in 11 seasons with the Phillies.
With Nola out, rookie Mick Abel will get an extended run in the Phillies' rotation. Abel, who impressed in his MLB debut when the Phillies first placed Nola on the IL, will start Tuesday's game against the Cubs.
The 23-year-old was inserted back into the rotation last week, and the righty was strong in 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run and three hits in the club's loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He did not factor into the decision.
Abel is 1-0 with a 0.79 ERA, 11 strikeouts and no walks in 11 1/3 innings in the majors this season.
Thomson said slugger Bryce Harper was starting to feel better as he recovers from right wrist inflammation that last Friday landed him on the 10-day injured list.
The two-time National League MVP and eight-time All-Star is hitting .258 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 57 games. He missed five games, from May 26 to June 2, with a bruised right elbow after being hit by a pitch from Atlanta's Spencer Strider.
