Even though the Philadelphia Phillies have embarked on a three-city road trip, there are still plenty of things happening back home in PA. With the Phillies in Arlington taking on the Texas Rangers this weekend, they remain without some key pieces in the lineup, the rotation, and the bullpen.
But there's good news on all fronts. A quartet of Phillies are currently in Allentown, for various reasons, working their way back to the majors with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. While it's good to see the suspended José Alvarado back on the mound (and looking great!), we're going to focus on where the other three Phillies are in their progression.
So, how are starter Aaron Nola, third baseman Alec Bohm and reliever David Robertson doing?
Phillies News: Aaron Nola continues strong showing in Lehigh Valley in second rehab appearance
The veteran right-hander Nola made his second rehab start on Wednesday and looked sharp again. As MLB.com's Paul Casella reported, Nola allowed one run over 3 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts and two walks, throwing 40 of his 69 pitches for strikes.
Hey, @Phillies fans, a familiar face is nearing a return 👀
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 6, 2025
Former All-Star Aaron Nola uses his four-pitch arsenal to strike out 3 batters over 3 2/3 innings in his second @IronPigs rehab start: pic.twitter.com/obS5vOQt7V
This start followed up on his first outing, in which he threw three shutout innings, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out three on 47 pitches.
Nola has been sidelined since landing on the 15-day IL with a sprained ankle in mid-May. He suffered a stress fracture in his ribs during his work to get back from the ankle injury. The good news is that he'll have one more rehab start next week before making his return to the Phillies' rotation in mid-August.
Alec Bohm lands in Lehigh Valley to continue rehab
Bohm is also making progress from a left rib fracture, but there's still no clear timetable for his return. Per MLB.com, he ran the bases when the team was still at home earlier this week. He did sliding drills and worked in the batting cage. With the Phillies on the road for 10 games, Bohm went to Lehigh Valley to get more work in and will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday, per March.
Down in Lehigh Valley, Alec Bohm will start playing rehab games on Sunday. Aaron Nola’s next start will be Tuesday.
— Lochlahn March (@lochlahn) August 8, 2025
He went on the 10-day IL on July 19, after getting drilled by a Yu Darvish pitch five days earlier. Like Nola, Bohm's expected back sometime in mid-August.
After a dreadful start to the year, Bohm has brought his season slash line up to .278/.324/.391. He struggled through the first two weeks of the campaign, but since April 14, he's slashing .304/.354/.437. He has eight home runs and 42 RBIs in 92 games.
David Robertson on track to join Phillies on Sunday
Robertson is back on track. The 40-year-old right-hander made his first back-to-back appearances this week since joining the IronPigs. He passed the test on Thursday by striking out the only batter he faced after coming in with two outs to clean up an inning. That followed a clean inning the day before when he allowed a hit but struck out two.
According to The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes, Robertson will be activated on Sunday if he feels good after his recent work.
Also from Thomson: If David Robertson feels good, he’ll be activated Sunday.
— Charlotte Varnes (@charlottevarnes) August 8, 2025
These most recent successful outings came on the heels of a couple of rough ones. Robertson had surrendered three runs in each of his previous two appearances out of the IronPigs' bullpen.
Robertson, who signed with the Phillies on July 21, was eligible to be activated on Aug. 5, but needed a little more time to progress through his buildup.