The Philadelphia Phillies received a major setback before Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, as pitching prospect is set to undergo Tommy John surgery, according to Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. A right-hander acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in a three-player trade at last summer’s deadline, had been struggling with a noticeable dip in velocity over six starts for Double-A Reading this season.
The 21-year-old Venezuelan, ranked as the Phillies’ No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline entering the season, was added to the 40-man roster last fall. After a strong showing with Reading following his acquisition, Chace opened 2025 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP over 16 2/3 innings, hampered by diminished velocity and command issues.
Moisés Chace was removed in the second inning of his latest outing, prompting the Phillies to have his elbow examined. The injury turned out to be more serious than initially anticipated.
The news follows a recent report from The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, which noted team concerns about Chace’s physical shape upon arriving at spring training. According to Gelb, the Phillies questioned how much offseason work Chace had done, as he didn’t appear to be in proper pitching form.
“Chace showed up to his first major league spring training out of shape,” Gelb wrote. “There were doubts about whether he threw from a mound at all while back home in Venezuela. Since the team didn’t believe he was injured, they kept sending him out to pitch.”
However, the sharp drop in his fastball velocity — from 94.4 mph last year to 90.8 mph this season — is now clearly linked to his elbow issue, casting the situation in a new light. Though the impact of his conditioning on the injury is uncertain, it’s an unfortunate turn for a young pitcher the Phillies had high hopes for.
As the key piece in the trade that sent Gregory Soto to the Orioles, Chace’s addition to the 40-man roster last year signaled the team’s belief in his future potential. While he’s now ruled out for a 2025 debut, an optimistic 10–12 month recovery window could have him back on the mound by next summer.