The Philadelphia Phillies are not making it easy on themselves. The club that charged back from a wretched 9-19 start to the season looked like a shoo-in for a postseason spot. That is, until the offense fell asleep and the bullpen self-destructed in September. Even worse, spark plug second baseman Luis Arraez suffered a nasty-looking ankle sprain on Thursday, and interim manager Don Mattingly just gave fans a grim update on his status.
Arraez hasn’t been his usual batting champion self ever since coming over from the Giants in a trade deadline swap, but the pending free agent has still provided a .278 batting average over his 46 games in the City of Brotherly Love, best among Phillies regulars. Most importantly, Arraez has slotted into the cleanup spot in the lineup, giving superstar Bryce Harper some long-overdue protection behind him.
It seems that’s going to change, at least for the foreseeable future, as Phillies skipper Don Mattingly was not optimistic about Arraez’s chances of making it back to the starting lineup before the playoffs begin. Mattingly told reporters that the Arraez update was, “kind of not a great one,” intimating that the club may need to make other plans for second base in October.
Don Mattingly said update on Luis Arraez was “kind of not a great one.” Sounds like they hope he might improve enough to pinch-hit at some point. IL could be possible if he doesn’t improve.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) September 25, 2026
On the bright side, the four-time All-Star has managed to avoid being placed on the Injured List; for now. Even the shortest possible stay on the 10-day IL would make Arraez ineligible to return to game action until Monday, October 5th, at which point the Phillies would be two games into a Divisional Series matchup, if they’re lucky enough to get that far.
Phillies aren't out of the woods just because Luis Arraez avoided the IL for now
Another piece of minutia worth considering is that players can be placed on the Injured List retroactively by up to three days. It is possible that the Phils are simply crossing their fingers for a quick return, and if Arraez doesn’t improve over the next few days he’ll end up there anyway with no change to his earliest possible return date.
For now the Phillies will trudge along without one of the key cogs in their lineup; a lineup that even with Arraez is sorely lacking quality hitters. Friday night’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays provided the first insight into what the infield will look like without the three-time batting champion, as Mattingly penciled utilityman Edmundo Sosa in at third base while shifting Bryson Stott back to the keystone.
Everything seems to be crumbling around the Phillies at the worst possible time. Ace Jesús Luzardo languishes on his own IL stint with shoulder inflammation, and it remains to be seen in what capacity he’ll be able to help his club in the playoffs, if at all. The bullpen has been a dumpster fire all year and has cost them multiple chances to get closer to clinching a playoff spot just this week. Add to all of that an offense that has been consistently inconsistent for five years, and it’s hard to imagine the Phils going far in the postseason.
Perhaps Luzardo will be able to return as his normal self just in time for the Wild Card Series. Maybe Arraez will make a miraculous recovery and be back in the starting lineup on Tuesday. The offense just might be able to scratch across enough runs and the bullpen somehow could make a habit out of bending without breaking. If all of those things happen, the Phillies have a chance at finally winning the World Series. However, that’s a lot of “ifs”.
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