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Rob Thomson Reveals Reason for Phillies' Aaron Nola Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mike Ostrowski | Last updated May 16, 2025 6:55 PM ET

The Phillies' longest-tenured pitcher is heading to the injured list, and their manager has an explanation as to why.

Aaron Nola was placed on the 15-day IL Friday with a right ankle sprain. Philly skipper Rob Thomson said the injury occurred last week before his start in Cleveland, and that it wasn't expected to be an issue.

"Doing agility work in the outfield, he just turned it," Thomson said. "We thought he could pitch through it. He thought he could pitch through it. It's getting better, but it's not getting out. So before it turns into an elbow, quad, or shoulder, it's best we shut him down right now."

Nola pitched five decent innings against the Guardians but was then shelled by the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday night, allowing nine runs on 12 hits and failing to complete the fourth inning. While Nola said after the game that he felt healthy, Thomson clarified that he was dealing with the persistent ankle issue.

"It's more of a lingering thing," Thomson said. "We didn't want to say anything (publicly) because we're giving the opposition a leg up... but we want to make sure we take care of him now for the long run."

Nola has not missed time due to an injury since 2017 - eight full seasons ago. (He briefly sat out in 2021 due to MLB's COVID close-contact rules.) In that period, he's thrown over 1,200 innings, among the most of all pitchers.

"He takes a lot of pride to getting to 200 innings, to getting 30-plus starts... That's what he's all about. He's disappointed, but I don't think this is going to be much longer than the 15 days."

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With Nola out, the Phillies are keeping Daniel Robert as the 26th man on their roster. Robert was recalled for Wednesday's doubleheader and made his fifth career MLB appearance, striking out the only batter he faced.

Phillies No. 8 prospect Mick Abel is expected to make his major league debut on Sunday, then Taijuan Walker will return to the rotation in Nola's place.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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