The Philadelphia Phillies placed All-Star left-hander Jesus Luzardo on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, three days after he was scratched from a start at Atlanta because of left shoulder inflammation.
The move is retroactive to Saturday, meaning Luzardo becomes eligible to return Sept. 27, the final day of the regular season.
Luzardo underwent an MRI on Saturday that showed no serious issues, but he did not throw Sunday or Monday. Interim manager Don Mattingly said the team’s medical staff believed Luzardo was improving Tuesday, though not as quickly as hoped.
“Nothing’s really changed as far as our thinking, anything more than just making sure he’s healthy before he pitches again,” Mattingly said before Philadelphia opened a two-game series at Washington.
The injury leaves the Phillies without one of their top starters as the team fights to lock down a postseason berth. Philadelphia currently holds the second National League wild card, half a game behind the Chicago Cubs and one game ahead of San Diego. The club is 3 1/2 games clear of Arizona, the next-closest team chasing a playoff spot.
Luzardo has been a standout this season, going 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA and earning his first career All-Star selection. He ranks second in the NL with a career-high 221 strikeouts across 29 starts, and he threw his first career complete game in his most recent outing, a two-hit shutout of Atlanta on Sept. 7.
“I don’t think anyone’s worried this is long term, this is into next year or anything like that,” Mattingly said. “I think we do think he’s going to be ready to pitch at the end of the year. We just have to take care of our business to get there.”
To fill the roster spot, Philadelphia recalled right-hander Grant Holman from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Holman’s only prior appearance for the Phillies this season came Saturday, when he allowed five unearned runs while recording just one out.
