The Philadelphia Phillies got mixed injury news ahead of the first round of the postseason, which begins on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves. Left-hander Jesus Luzardo went down earlier in September with a left shoulder injury in the midst of a career season, as he had a 2.86 OPS in of 30 appearances, striking out 221 batters — the second consecutive season in which he has struck out 200 or more — in just 179.2 innings pitched. Luzardo is set to make a comeback for the first game of the Wild Card series on Tuesday, and will open the game.
The Phillies are yet to reveal how long he will pitch in the first game of the series. On the negative side, though, Luis Arraez will miss the Wild Card series after spraining his ankle against the Milwaukee Brewers last week. Arraez, 29, came to Philadelphia at the trade deadline from the San Francisco Giants following a strong several months in the NL West.
He had an .800 OPS prior to the trade, his highest since 2023, and finally figured himself out on the defensive side, posting career bests in outs above average and fielding run value. After the trade, though, Arraez had just a .678 OPS with two homers and 21 RBIs, batting .278 though of 46 games. The Phillies already have their replacement for Arraez in the first round of the postseason, as Otto Kemp will take his spot for the time being.
Kemp, 27, featured in a limited capacity for the Phillies this season, playing just 13 games for the team over the course of the season. He had two hits in 25 at-bats, posting a .228 OPS. Arraez is obviously a huge loss for the Phillies, but Luzardo's return could be the biggest addition to any roster in the postseason.
Luzardo had been one of the best pitchers in MLB following the All-Star break, as he had a 1.82 ERA in 11 appearances, striking out 85 batters in just 69.1 innings pitched. The Phillies will hope Luzardo's return is enough to pull them through the first round postseason as they await Arraez's return from his injury.
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