PHILADELPHIA -- This is relatively uncharted territory for Aaron Nola.
The veteran Phillies right-hander is on the injured list for the first time in eight years -- and he really doesn't have a lot of answers at the moment.
Initially placed on the 15-day IL on May 15 due to a sprained right ankle, Nola began feeling some discomfort in his right side as he began working his way back from the ankle injury in early June. He doesn't recall doing anything specific to it or when he first felt the pain, he just knew something wasn't right.
He was sent for an MRI, and both Nola and the Phillies were surprised when it revealed a stress fracture in one of his right ribs.
"It wasn't the news I was expecting," Nola said prior to Friday's series opener against the Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park. "I thought maybe it was a light strain or something."
Instead, Nola is now just a few days into a two-week shutdown from even throwing. He won't resume throwing until the fracture heals -- and until he's pain-free. Nola said he still feels some discomfort when he breathes heavier or makes certain movements.
"I'm going to have to obviously get my arm conditioned again and work my way back up, and get my body conditioned out there on the mound once I'm ready to go," Nola said. "But I think the hardest part is not being able to throw, so I'm going to wait until that time comes. And I'm excited to throw again when it gets better."
Even once Nola begins throwing again, he'll need to go through a full rehab process. It'll start with just playing catch a few times, then progress to a couple bullpen sessions (at least a few days apart), facing live hitters in batting practice and, eventually, a Minor League rehab assignment.
Given all that, it seems unlikely that Nola would be ready to rejoin the Phillies any time before next month's All-Star break, which runs from July 14-17.
Does he have any sort of target date of his own?
"I don't really know," Nola said. "Like I said, I've never had an injury like this before. I feel like it'd be different if it was muscular or a muscular-type of thing, so I'm not really sure."
Added manager Rob Thomson: "I have no idea."
Being sidelined with the ankle injury was frustrating enough for Nola, who hadn't previously missed a start due to injury since 2017, when he was sidelined for a month due to a lower back strain. His only other IL stint (not including COVID) was in 2016, when he missed the final two months due to a strained right elbow.
From the time Nola returned from that back injury on May 21, 2017, until he was placed on the IL on May 15, he made 241 starts -- five more than any other pitcher. His 1,466 1/3 innings during that span were also 82 1/3 more than anyone else.
"It's frustrating, for sure," Nola said. "I try really hard to keep my body in shape and pitching shape, and to be reliable to make every single start every year. That's what I'm here to do.
"It's obviously tough going through it, but sometimes things come up and it happens, and you've got to get through it. I'm going to keep working as hard as I can to get back as quick as possible."
Even with Nola getting off to a rough start this season (1-7, 6.16 ERA), it's been an unusual feeling for Thomson to not pencil him in every fifth start.
"He's been so consistent," Thomson said. "Since I've been here, this is the first time he's ever missed a start, so it's a little bit different, for sure."
This whole ordeal has been all the more frustrating for Nola given those early struggles. After going 0-5 with a 6.43 ERA through five starts, he appeared to turn a corner in late April. Nola threw seven innings of one-run ball against the Cubs on April 27 and followed it up with six scoreless innings against the D-backs on May 3.
But then Nola injured his ankle doing agility work on May 8 in Tampa. He tried to pitch through it the following day in Cleveland and again five days later against the Cardinals -- but neither outing went well.
With the rehab process also dealing him some setbacks, all Nola can do now is something he hasn’t done in-season in more than eight years: Rest.
"This is all really new to me," Nola said. "So just trying to take time off to let it heal."