Vincent Velasquez Placed on 15 Day DL, Luis Garcia Called Up
The Phillies have officially placed starting pitcher Vincent Velasquez on the 15 Day Disabled List with a strained bicep in his pitching arm.
Whether or not Velasquez will require surgery is not yet known publicly.
Relief pitcher Luis Garcia has been called-up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In 21 games out of the bullpen for the Iron Pigs, Garcia has a 3-1 record with a 2.77 ERA. He has struck out 25 batters in 26 innings of work, but has allowed 19 hits and 13 walks.
Velasquez was pulled after two pitches earlier this week with discomfort in his pitching arm. After he felt it warming up, the trainers allowed him to start the game to see how he felt, but two pitches in the mid-80’s signaled something was not right.
Vincent Velasquez was acquired from the Houston Astros in the Ken Giles trade over the offseason along with Brett Oberholzter and a package of prospects. scattered across the Phillies minor league farm system.
He entered Wednesdays game with a 5-2 record and a 3.67 ERA. He racked up 73 strikeouts in just over 61 innings and has held hitters to a .243 batting average this season.
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With the Phillies opting to call-up Garcia at this point to work out of the bullpen and not a prospect such as Zach Eflin, who was scratched from his start after the Velasquez news arose, it could signal the Phillies are willing to give Oberholtzer a try in the starting rotation.
Eflin is currently not listed on the Iron Pigs projected starter schedule through Tuesday. Severino Gonzalez made a spot start in his absence.
Velasquez does have a history of injuries, including Tommy John surgery while he was with the Astros. According to Jason Stark during an interview on 97.5 The Fantatic, an Astros executive immediately texted him when Velasquez was pulled and said “Told you,” referencing his extensive history of arm problems prior to the Ken Giles trade in the offseason.