Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola, who signed a seven-year, $172 million deal ahead of the 2024 season, won’t be coming off the injured list this Friday due to a sprained right ankle. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the injury turned out to be more severe than Nola initially thought.
Nola, a 2018 All-Star, didn’t throw a bullpen session during the Phillies’ recent seven-game road trip because the ankle was still causing discomfort. Gelb reports that Nola is scheduled for treatment on Monday and could potentially throw a bullpen session on Tuesday, ahead of a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves.
With Nola’s return postponed, there’s a possibility he may need to make a minor league rehab appearance before rejoining the rotation.
“That would be the ideal situation—not having to make a rehab start—but I really just need to see how it feels on the mound first,” Nola told Gelb. “Since I’m on the IL, I want to get it fully right. I want the ankle to feel strong again, and I need to be able to run and sprint without it bothering me.”
Nola injured the ankle on May 8 during pregame agility drills before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Steinbrenner Field. Despite the injury, he made two starts—against the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago Cubs—but struggled mightily, giving up 13 earned runs, 18 hits, and five home runs over 8 2/3 innings. His outing against the Cubs was his worst of the year, surrendering 12 hits, three homers, and nine earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings.
The Phillies placed him on the injured list on May 16.
Nola is off to the roughest start of his career, posting a 1-7 record with a 6.16 ERA, a 1.510 WHIP, and a 67 ERA+.