Phillies placing Jesus Luzardo on 15-day injured list, eligible to return last game of season
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Phillies will be without their hottest starting pitcher for the remainder of the regular season, and possibly longer.
After missing his start against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night with shoulder stiffness, the Phillies are placing Jesus Luzardo on the 15-day injured list. He is not eligible to return until the last game of the season on Sept. 27 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
After not throwing for two days, the Phillies hoped the inflammation would be out of Luzardo’s left shoulder. That was not the case. Interim manager Don Mattingly did not rule Luzardo out of making a postseason start. However, there is a lot of uncertainty.
“I know it’s something that’ll go away with time,” Luzardo said Tuesday, “but right now we don’t have that much time.”
What is certain is that the Phillies will miss the southpaw. Luzardo has pitched to a 2.87 ERA across 178.2 innings, racking up 221 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP. His final start of the regular season will likely be his complete-game, 12-strikeout shutout over the Braves at Citizens Bank Park on Labor Day.
After posting a 5.77 ERA in his first eight appearances, Luzardo was one of baseball’s most consistent starters and was forming into a No. 1 option for the Phillies come the postseason. Since May 14, Luzardo recorded a 1.93 ERA (second in MLB with a minimum of 100 IP), 164 strikeouts (third), 135 innings (second), a .191 opponents batting average (fifth), and a 0.98 WHIP (seventh). The Phillies are 18-3 in his last 21 starts.
Luzardo feels confident he will return in time for the postseason. Game 1 of the Wild Card is Tuesday, Sept. 29.
“Guaranteed,” Luzardo said on being ready for the postseason. “I can’t say 100% I’m going to start [a postseason game], but that’s the goal. I feel confident I can make that happen.”
The Phils, after originally recalling right-hander Grant Holman from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, have brought left-hander Kyle Backhus up. Backhus will make his fourth stint with the big-league club; in 21 appearances this season, the 28-year-old owns a 4.95 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 20 strikeouts over 20 innings. They will need him for a bullpen game at some point. Likely Friday night against the playoff-eliminated New York Mets. Alan Rangel is also scheduled to start for Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. He could be another option.
Benjamin Goldstein
Benjamin Goldstein is a Sports Media major at Temple University and an aspiring sportscaster and journalist. Since 2017, he has covered Philadelphia sports as the founder, editor, writer, and podcast host of Philly Sports Reports. In addition, Benjamin is a freelance sports writer for The Temple News, a radio host on WHIP Radio, and interned with the WBCB Sports Network on 1490 AM for four years. Through his coverage and media work, he has had the opportunity to meet Phillies owner John Middleton in his suite and has been recognized as KYW Newsradio’s Philadelphia Sports Fan of the Week.
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