Philadelphia Phillies Star Aaron Nola Diagnosed with Concerning Rib Issue

The Philadelphia Phillies got some bad injury news on Tuesday afternoon which could dramatically alter their pitching staff over the next month or two.

As first reported by Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola -- who has not pitched since May 14 due to a sprained ankle -- is being shut down from throwing for at least two more weeks after an MRI revealed a stress reaction in his right rib cage.

Nola initially experienced stiffness while trying to return from the ankle issue in his side, and the ailment is now revealed to be a significant issue.

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Gelb speculates that it could be not until after the All-Star break that Nola returns as a stress reaction in the ribcage is a serious enough issue to be sidelined for a lengthy period.

It's the first major injury in quite some time for the 11-year veteran who has not missed a start with outside of the COVID injury list since 2017.

Nola's 150 starts since 2020 are the third most in all of baseball, and him being injured is really just a continuation of what has been a rough year for Philadelphia.

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He was off to a rough start this year though, pitching to a 6.16 ERA in his first nine outings of the season as well as a 1.510 WHIP, both figures that had him on track for the worst season of his career.

It seems Nola will be back this season, just not for a good bit longer. Perhaps when he does return, his luck on the mound can start to change as he hopefully joins the Phillies for a playoff push.

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