Phillies All-Star pitcher heads to IL at worst possible time as trouble brews in Philly

Just when you thought the Philadelphia Phillies had gotten over the majority of their injury woes from the past couple of months, they unexpectedly got hit by another bullet.

All-Star pitcher Ranger Suárez has landed on the 15-day IL due to lower back soreness, retroactive to July 24, the team announced on Saturday. To take his place on the roster, the Phillies have recalled former Braves first-round pick Kolby Allard from the minors.

Phillies All-Star pitcher heads to IL at worst possible time as trouble brews in Philly

Suárez’s injury had certainly come right at an inopportune time, with the Phillies looking quite lost having dropped six of their past eight games. With Taijuan Walker also still rehabbing from his right index finger injury from late June, it leaves the Phillies rotation short-handed for the next little while. It adds more pressure to the rest of the rotation, along with rookie Tyler Phillips, to step up and help keep things rolling for Philly.

Suárez was amidst a huge breakout season in which he began the year with a scintillating 9-0 record and a minuscule 1.36 ERA in his first 10 starts to 2024. However, he lost a bit of that magic as the season progressed. Most notably, in his past five starts prior to the injury, he went 0-4 with a worrisome 6.67 ERA and 1.67 WHIP, giving up 20 earned runs in just 27 innings pitched. Perhaps his current back injury played somewhat of a role in his struggles in recent weeks.

As for Allard, he was signed by the Phillies this past offseason to a one-year contract, with hopes of revitalizing his once-promising career. Playing for the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Allard has posted a 2-6 record with a 5.23 ERA and 1.60 WHIP with 59 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings.

He vastly improved in June, posting a tidy 2.84 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 42 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings of work in his last eight starts. In doing so, Allard had made himself a viable option for being a temporary replacement in the Phillies rotation.

How worried should the Phillies and their faithful be about Suárez? According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Phillies manager Rob Thomson doesn't think the injury will be a serious issue since the soreness was on the left side of his back this time, as opposed to the ailing right side that he had previously experienced. Thomsom even predicted that Suárez could even be ready to go by the latter part of their upcoming road trip against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Hopefully, that is the case. Otherwise, the Phillies might be forced to explore some potential insurance options for starting pitching before it’s too late, with the trade deadline fast approaching.