Philadelphia Phillies Land Major Jesus Luzardo Injury News

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo received encouraging results Saturday from an MRI on his sore left shoulder, with imaging showing no structural damage.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com shared the update on X.

“Jesús Luzardo (sore left shoulder) said he is encouraged by the results of an MRI exam he got last night,” Zolecki wrote. “No structural damage. Inflammation. No injection required, he said. Taking anti-inflammatories. He is hopeful he could pitch sometime next week. He said if today was Game 7 of the World Series, he would pitch.”

The Phillies scratched Luzardo from Saturday’s scheduled start against the Atlanta Braves after he experienced stiffness following his complete-game shutout Monday. He had trouble getting loose during a light bullpen session Friday.

Interim manager Don Mattingly said the club chose caution.

“As we worked through it the last couple of days, we thought he’s gonna be able to make the start,” Mattingly said. “He’s still not quite there. We feel like it’s safer to be careful with him. We don’t want this to linger, so it’s one of those things we want to try to take care of it and just go from there.”

Mattingly added that Luzardo believed he could take the mound.

“He’s just really having trouble getting loose, is the biggest thing,” the manager said. “He thought he could pitch. We didn’t feel like it was the best thing.”

Luzardo has been one of the National League’s most effective starters this summer. He entered the weekend 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA, 221 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP over 178 2/3 innings in 29 starts.

His last outing was the best of his career: a two-hit, complete-game shutout of the Braves on Sept. 7 with 12 strikeouts and one walk. Since June 10 he has posted a 1.70 ERA.

The timing is difficult. Philadelphia sits at 82-66, five games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East and locked in a tight race for the top National League wild-card spot with the Chicago Cubs, who also stand at 82-66. The Cubs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Phillies hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the San Diego Padres and a three-game edge on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is 12 with 14 games remaining. Realistically they need at least six more wins to feel secure about October.

Because Luzardo was unavailable, the Phillies planned a bullpen game Saturday with left-hander Tim Mayza as the opener. The team will re-evaluate the 28-year-old after the Braves series and an off day.

Shoulder issues can linger, and a 15-day injured-list stint would effectively end Luzardo’s regular season. Mattingly said that outcome would be a “big blow,” though he is not overly concerned at this point.

“If it lingers, it obviously would be a big blow, and I would be more concerned,” Mattingly said. “To this point, I don’t feel that same way.”

Luzardo ranks among the league leaders in innings and pitches thrown. His three highest pitch counts have come in his last five starts, including 109 pitches in the shutout. That workload makes the club extra careful as it looks toward the postseason, where Luzardo had been discussed as a possible Game 1 starter in the wild-card round.

The left-hander told reporters he would have pitched Saturday if the decision had been his alone, but that it “probably wouldn’t have been the smartest decision.” He is taking anti-inflammatory medication and remains optimistic about returning next week, likely against the New York Mets.

Philadelphia’s rotation at full strength features Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Luzardo. Keeping the All-Star left-hander healthy for October is the priority as the Phillies try to lock down a playoff spot and stay in the hunt for home-field advantage in the wild-card series.