Phillies’ Luis Arraez Removed With Ankle Injury

Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez was pulled from Thursday night’s game against the Brewers with a left ankle sprain, the team announced (h/t Matt Gelb of The Athletic). He had to be helped off the field and couldn’t put any weight on his left leg. Arraez was replaced by Edmundo Sosa.

The injury occurred on a ground ball to shortstop. Cooper Pratt fielded the ball and threw wide to first, forcing Jake Bauers to come up the line to catch it. Arraez tried to sidestep Bauers, but planted awkwardly and went down in a heap (video link via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com).

It’s obviously brutal timing, with the Phillies less than a week away from the Wild Card round. Arraez has been the everyday option at the keystone since coming over from the Giants at the trade deadline. He’s hit .283 with a pair of homers in the middle of Philadelphia’s lineup.

The Phillies reconfigured their defensive alignment after the Arraez trade. Bryce Harper went to the outfield for the first time since 2022. Primary second baseman Bryson Stott shifted to third base, with Alec Bohm heading across the diamond to first base. The adjustment allowed Arraez to stay at a position where he’s comfortable while keeping all of the primary Phillies bats in the lineup.

If Arraez is forced to miss time, Philadelphia could revert to its Opening Day setup in the infield. Bryan De La Cruz and Derek Hill would be candidates to pick up additional playing time in the outfield. The versatile Sosa could also just take over in the infield if the Phillies didn’t want to move everyone around again. He came in to play third base tonight, with Stott moving over to second base.

In more positive news, left-hander Jesus Luzardo completed a 30-pitch bullpen on Thursday. Interim manager Don Mattingly told reporters, including Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that the next step would be facing live hitters. Luzardo has been out since early September with left shoulder inflammation.

“He’s feeling good,” Mattingly said, as relayed by Zolecki. “He wasn’t shaking his shoulder during the bullpen or anything like that.”

Getting back on the mound puts Luzardo a step closer to being ready for the Wild Card round. Philadelphia hasn’t officially locked up a playoff spot, but could take care of it as soon as Thursday. The club would then turn its attention to the playoff roster. Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez will likely start the first two games. Luzardo would be a candidate to start the final game, if needed, though he could also be used out of the bullpen.

“Whatever role they need me,” Luzardo said, per Lochlann March of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “If they need me one inning, two innings out of the bullpen, three innings. I could start. I could be the bat boy. Whatever they ask of me, I’ll do. I just want to win.”

The shoulder injury cut short a tremendous campaign for Luzardo. He pitched to a 2.87 ERA across 29 starts. Luzardo pushed his strikeout rate above 30% for the first time since his brief debut with the Athletics in 2019. He’s formed an imposing three-headed monster with Sanchez and Wheeler in Philadelphia’s rotation.