The Philadelphia Phillies will welcome their longest-tenured player back this weekend. Right-hander Aaron Nola, who has been out with an ankle issue since May 14, will start Sunday, manager Rob Thomson announced Thursday (per The Athletic). Taijuan Walker will remain in a starting role and the Phillies will use a six-man rotation for the time being. Thomson hinted that was a possibility recently.
“I think it could benefit everybody, to tell you the truth,” Thomson said earlier this week when asked about the possibility of a six-man rotation (via MLB.com). “We’ve been riding these guys pretty hard all year.”
Entering Thursday, Phillies starters have thrown 687 ⅓ innings this year, 20 more than any other team, and ace Zack Wheeler recently had a start pushed back by shoulder soreness. This is Philadelphia’s rotation depth chart at the moment:
- RHP Zack Wheeler
- LHP Cristopher Sánchez
- LHP Jesus Luzardo
- RHP Aaron Nola
- LHP Ranger Suárez
- RHP Taijuan Walker
- RHP Alan Rangel
Righty Mick Abel made six starts for the Phillies earlier this year. He was sent to the Minnesota Twins in the Jhoan Duran trade, so the depth chart beyond the top six is pretty thin. Righty Joe Ross has spent most of the season in the bullpen as a lower-leverage multi-inning guy, though he could become a rotation option in the event injuries mount.
Philadelphia’s starters have worked a lot this season and they’ve also been very, very good. Phillies starters rank third with a 3.42 ERA and lead baseball with 15.3 WAR, comfortably ahead of the second-ranked Cincinnati Reds (12.8 WAR). For all the stars in their lineup (Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, etc.), the Phillies are built around their rotation. It is essential to their success.
Thanks largely to that rotation, the Phillies have been able to separate themselves a bit from the New York Mets in the NL East. The Phillies have won seven of their last 10 games while the Mets are in a 2-12 tailspin dating back to last month. Philadelphia has opened up a five-game division lead with six weeks remaining in the regular season.
Nola, 32, had a 6.16 ERA in nine starts prior to his ankle injury, which was his first trip to the injured list for a non-COVID reason since a back issue sidelined him for a month in 2017. This is Year 2 of Nola’s seven-year, $172 million contract.