MIAMI -- Aaron Nola has been transferred to the 60-day IL to make room for Buddy Kennedy on the Phillies’ 40-man roster.
Kennedy’s contract was selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, and Weston Wilson was optioned to the IronPigs in a corresponding move.
Nola’s return was estimated for August, so this transfer is not indicative of a setback in his rehab. According to Nola himself, things are going well as he works to ramp up.
“[I’m] trying to not overdo anything and irritate something [by throwing],” Nola said on Thursday before the series finale vs. Miami. “But … working out feels good, running feels good.”
Nola, who hit the 15-day IL on May 16 (retroactive to May 15) after spraining his right ankle, was set to miss substantial time after an MRI revealed he had a stress fracture in his right rib.
He emphasized that he doesn’t want to rush his process of getting healthy.
“I’m not sure [what the long-term timeline is],” he said. “I’m obviously gonna have to ramp things up. Gonna have to get back on a throwing program, and have throwing sessions out there in the outfield, and bullpens, and get a couple of live BPs for sure. … It’s probably gonna take a little bit to get back going again … and get back to 100 percent.
“I haven’t had an injury like this before with the rib, so I can’t set a specific date [for a return].”
The IL stint is Nola’s first since 2017, when he dealt with a lower back strain.