Phillies Pitcher Aaron Nola Feels “100 Percent”, Ready for Spring Training

After staying silent through most of the offseason, Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola says he feels “100 percent” and he believes he will be ready for the spring.

The biggest issue facing the Phillies this offseason was the health of their right-handed phenom Aaron Nola. He is expected to lead the team’s rotation for several years to come, but that isn’t possible if he is injured. However, it appears Nola should be ready to go when spring training rolls around.

Nola spoke at an event sponsored by the Double-A Reading Fightin’ Phils, telling Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly, “My arm is all good. One-hundred percent.” Nola was optimistic, saying, “I feel like the injury is past me. I feel back to normal.”

This wasn’t the first time Nola was said to be feeling “100 percent.” His agent said back in November that the righty felt “100 percent” even then.

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The last time Nola pitched in a live game was July 28 against the Braves. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out five. The team placed Nola on the disabled list just before his next start, and he was later moved to the 60-day DL after being diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and strained flexor tendon.

Elbow injuries often bring up the potential for Tommy John surgery, which would have shelved Nola for all of 2017 and possibly part of 2018 as well. Since the injury wasn’t too severe, the team opted for a more conservative treatment plan. Nola received a platelet-rich plasma injection then traveled to Clearwater to complete a throwing program after a few weeks.

Nola said he felt no pain throughout the rehab. He told Salisbury:

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"“All through the rehab, I had no pain. Probably in the middle of the rehab, I started feeling really good. Towards the end, I started upping the intensity a little bit. I knew after I took two months off I was going to be good. I started back up, throwing after Christmas and it felt really good when I cranked up. I’ve been throwing for a few weeks now. No pain, no hesitation. Not any of it.”"

While Nola remains optimistic about his plans for 2017, manager Pete Mackanin still expressed some concern. He told Salisbury, “When guys don’t have surgery and they mend with just rest, that makes me a little nervous.

“I don’t want that to crop up again because then you lose a couple years instead of one year. But I defer to the medical people and believe in what they say and how he feels.”

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With Nola expected to be healthy, Mackanin said the rotation will likely be comprised of Nola, Jeremy Hellickson, Clay Buchholz, Jerad Eickhoff, and Vincent Velasquez.