PHILADELPHIA -- Aaron Nola's absence will be a bit longer than expected after an MRI exam on Monday night revealed a stress reaction in his right rib.
The Phillies right-hander will be shut down from throwing for two weeks before being reevaluated.
"I don't have a date of return," manager Rob Thomson said prior to Tuesday night's 8-4 loss to the Cubs at Citizens Bank Park. "But I know he's not even going to play catch for two weeks."
Even if Nola is cleared to resume throwing right at that two-week mark, he would then need to go through the entire rehab process. That figures to include a couple of bullpen sessions a few days apart before progressing to facing hitters in live batting practice.
Once he gets to that point, Nola -- who hasn't pitched since May 14 -- would likely need to make multiple starts during a Minor League rehab assignment to ramp back up. With the All-Star break just a little more than a month away (July 14-17), it’s certainly possible that he won’t return until the second half.
Nola initially landed on the IL with a right ankle sprain following that May 14 outing in Cleveland. That injury had subsided enough that he threw a bullpen session without any issues on June 1.
When it came time to face hitters a few days later, however, Nola reported some stiffness in his side. Since that coincided with Nola battling a cold, the hope was that the discomfort was simply a side effect from excessive coughing.
The MRI exam revealed otherwise.
It's a tough blow for Nola, who has established himself as one of the most durable starters in the Majors. This is his first stint on the IL (not including the COVID IL) since 2017, when he missed a few weeks with a back strain. His only other IL stint was in '16 (strained right elbow).
Since then, Nola has made at least 32 starts in every full season from 2018-24. He even made all 12 of his starts during the pandemic-shortened 60-game campaign in ‘20.
Nola leads all pitchers with 1,314 1/3 innings pitched since 2018. Teammate Zack Wheeler is second at 1,289 innings.
"Very," Thomson said when asked how frustrating the setback has been. "You know, Noles -- he's a competitor. He wants to play, he wants to pitch."
In Nola's place, the Phillies will continue to lean on Mick Abel, who made his third career start on Tuesday night. The club's No. 8 prospect posted a 0.79 ERA with 11 strikeouts and zero walks over 11 1/3 innings in his first two big league outings.
Thomson added that Nola's extended absence does not change the Phillies' plan for Andrew Painter. The club’s top prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 overall yielded six runs on eight hits with no walks and four strikeouts over five innings in his start on Tuesday night for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and he is expected to pitch again on Sunday, marking the first time this season that he's pitched on regular rest.
Painter remains on track to join the Phillies in July -- likely following the All-Star break.
In the meantime, the Phils will get an extended look at Abel.
"I think he just needs to take one game at a time, and go get 'em," Thomson said.