Nola (ankle) goes on IL; No. 8 prospect Abel to debut Sunday
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PHILADELPHIA -- Nobody has pitched more innings in baseball than Aaron Nola since 2017.
It speaks to his talents and durability.
The Phillies surprised people then on Friday when they announced Nola was placed on the 15-day injured list because of a sprained right ankle. It is the first time Nola has been on the IL because of a physical injury since May 2017. The Phils added to the surprise when they announced that No. 8 prospect Mick Abel will make his big league debut on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park against Pirates phenom Paul Skenes.
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“Mick’s earned it,” Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly said.
Abel will make one start before rejoining Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Taijuan Walker will rejoin the Phillies' rotation on Wednesday in Colorado. Walker pitched three innings in relief on Wednesday, so Philadelphia wants to give him additional time to prepare before he starts again.
Walker will assume Nola’s spot in the rotation until Nola is ready to return.
The Phillies don’t think Nola’s recovery will take much longer than 15 days. Nola said he injured the ankle doing agility work on May 8 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. He pitched on May 9 in Cleveland, allowing four runs in five innings. On Wednesday against the Cardinals, he suffered the worst start of his career, allowing a career-high 12 hits, a career-high nine runs and tied a career-high with three home runs allowed.
Nola said the ankle hadn’t improved like he hoped.
“It’s definitely not that comfortable,” he said. “It got a little better from the first start in Cleveland [to St. Louis]. I thought it’d be pretty much better by now, but it’s still lingering. So hopefully it’ll get out pretty quick.”
Nola (1-7 with a 6.16 ERA) has thrown 1,536 innings since the beginning of 2017, which includes the postseason. Gerrit Cole ranks second with 1,492 innings. Zack Wheeler is third with 1,421 innings.
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“It’s frustrating,” Nola said. “I haven’t been on the IL in a long time. I try to be as healthy as possible so I can be prepared, so I can make my starts every time I’m getting the baseball. It’s just something that happened that’s non-baseball related.”
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the Phillies approached Nola about going on the IL before Friday’s series opener against the Pirates. They said they did not want Nola’s ankle to change his pitching mechanics, which could lead to back, shoulder or elbow problems.
Nola said he had compensated for the ankle in his last two starts.
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“It put a little more stress on my back,” he said.
Nola said he plans to keep throwing while he is sidelined. He does not know if he will throw a scheduled bullpen session on Saturday.
Abel, 23, will join the team on Saturday. The Phillies selected Abel with the 15th overall pick in the 2020 Draft. He was one of baseball’s Top 100 prospects last year, but he fell off MLB Pipeline’s list following struggles and command issues.
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Abel went 3-12 with a 6.46 ERA in 24 starts last season in Triple-A. He struck out 117, but he walked 78 in 108 2/3 innings. But he is 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA in eight starts this season. He has struck out 51 and walked 19 in 46 1/3 innings.
His walk rate (9.9 percent) is the lowest of his career.
“I think when you watched Mick throw all along, it was never big misses,” Mattingly said. “It wasn’t like he was a guy throwing the ball all over the place. You knew at some point it was going to take a step forward. I think you’re just kind of seeing that.”
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The journey hasn’t been easy for Abel. Not that everything is easy now, but he has shown enough improvement that the Phillies believe he is ready to debut in front of a packed Citizens Bank Park on Sunday.
“I remember when I was in those shoes,” Nola said, recalling his July 21, 2015, Phillies debut. “It’s pretty cool. It’s a special moment that he won’t ever forget. I’m happy for him. He’s worked really hard.
“Just enjoy it. Absolutely enjoy it. You only get one debut. Try to get as prepared as possible and just try to enjoy everything about it -- the stadium, the fans, who you’re pitching against, the Major Leagues. It’s a privilege to be up here and pitch at the highest level.”