Phillies Place Jesús Luzardo on IL; Playoff Return Possible Despite Shoulder Issue

The Philadelphia Phillies have suffered a major blow ahead of the postseason. Left-hander Jesús Luzardo has been placed on the injured list Tuesday, three days after he was scratched from a start with shoulder stiffness, the team announced Tuesday An MRI revealed no structural damage, though Luzardo doesn't feel as good as hoped with his recovery.

RHP Grant Holman was recalled to take Luzardo's roster spot.

"It's kind of what we thought," interim manager Don Mattingly said following last week's MRI (via the Philadelphia Inquirer ). "We didn't feel like there was anything truly going on other than the inflammation, which was causing the stiffness and things like that ... He would have taken the ball, but we just didn't know if that pushes to the next one, and then we're doing this the rest of the year. So it feels better to take care of it now, get it knocked out, and then just have Zeus be Zeus."

By backdating the 15-day IL stint the maximum three days, Luzardo is eligible to return next Saturday, Sept. 26, though it is unclear if he will be ready for the postseason. Mattingly said on Tuesday that they are not ruling him out for a playoff start. The shoulder issue popped up after Luzardo's brilliant two-hit shutout against the Atlanta Braves last week, during which he struck out 12 and threw 109 pitches.

Jesus Luzardo PHI • SP • #44

ERA 2.87 WHIP 1.08 IP 178.2 BB 52 K 221 View Profile

"If you ask me, I think it's a coincidence, especially because I felt good in the moment," Luzardo said about that start possibly contributing to his injury (via the  Philadelphia Inquirer ). "Yeah, I honestly don't know. Maybe it didn't help, but again, it's September, so it could have really been anything."

The Phillies enter play Tuesday one game up on the third wild-card spot and 3 ½ games up on a postseason berth in general. The Wild Card Series will begin Tuesday, Sept. 29, meaning Luzardo will go at least 21 days between starts unless the Phillies let him pitch during the regular season's final week. They also could consider using him as a reliever in the Wild Card Series.

Philadelphia's strength is its rotation, with Luzardo joining Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler to form the game's most dominant 1-2-3 punch. Aaron Nola has had a resurgence the last few weeks , though he is not Luzardo, who has been one of the game's best pitchers the last few months. If Luzardo is unable to start in the Wild Card Series, the step down to Nola is significant.

Luzardo, 29 in two weeks, ranks sixth among all pitchers in WAR. He is in the first year of a five-year, $135 million extension.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/phillies-jesus-luzardo-injury-timeline-playoff-race/)._