The Philadelphia Phillies have been making things so much harder than they need to be lately. A week’s worth of misery has completely screwed up any plans they had for the Wild Card Series, while ace Jesús Luzardo’s shoulder injury casts doubt on how deep he'll be able go into games. Worse yet, starting second baseman Luis Arraez went down with a sprained ankle last week. Arraez may have avoided a catastrophic injury, but unfortunately he won't be his normal self by the time the playoffs start on Tuesday.
Arraez was the one big acquisition Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made at the trade deadline, but the three-time batting champion has been more decent than excellent over the course of his 46 games in red pinstripes. Nevertheless, Arraez remains one of the more competent hitters in the Phils’ top-heavy lineup behind Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, and they can ill afford to lose his bat.
The Phillies will begin their Wild Card matchup with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday at Truist Park, giving the club little time to figure out what to do with the pitching staff and second base. On Sunday MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki delivered mixed news on the Arraez front, stating, “Luis Arraez's sprained left ankle has improved enough that Don Mattingly said he could hypothetically pinch-hit today. Still, Arraez hasn't taken any swings in the cage since suffering the injury last week.”
Luis Arraez's sprained left ankle has improved enough that Don Mattingly said he could hypothetically pinch-hit today. Still, Arraez hasn't taken any swings in the cage since suffering the injury last week.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) September 27, 2026
The Athletic's Matt Gelb added on Monday that Arraez has been left off the active roster for the Wild Card round, with the Phils opting to carry utilityman Otto Kemp instead. Swiss Army knife Edmundo Sosa will most likely replace Arraez in the starting lineup, which may not be the worst thing in the world considering the Braves are rolling out future Hall of Fame left-hander Chris Sale in Game 1. With Sale on the mound, it's wise for Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly to stack as many righty sticks as he can, hoping for a big hit of the Cy Young Award contender.
Even though Luis Arraez won't play in the Wild Card round, he could still be useful later on...if the Phillies make it that far
However, not all hope is lost for Arraez should the Phillies make it out of the Wild Card round. The following National league Division Series won't begin until Saturday, more than a week removed from the second baseman suffering his scary ankle injury. If he starts to feel better by that time, it is conceivable that he could be added back to the active roster for the NLDS.
Even if Arraez isn't in tip-top shape by Saturday, he could still play an important role for the Phillies, should they make it that far. Having a contact-oriented bat off the bench would afford Mattingly the opportunity to deploy Arraez late in a game with a runner in scoring position. It's likely that Arraez wouldn't be cleared to run the bases at full speed, but he could still be used in a pinch-hitting scenario, then replaced with a pinch runner if he reaches base.
It's far from ideal for the Phillies to be without their starting second baseman heading into a do-or-die playoff matchup. However, the team simply needs to take things one step at a time and reevaluate Arraez after each series. If they're able to advance and he can come back to hit off the bench, it'll be a big upgrade to an offense that desperately needs it.
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