Phillies Place All-star Jesús Luzardo On 15-day Il But Not Ruling Out Lhp For Potential Postseason Start

Although Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo received encouraging news over the weekend, when an MRI revealed that there was no structural damage to his throwing shoulder, the lefty wasn't feeling as well as the club expected on Tuesday.

The Phillies have placed the first-time All-Star on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation. Interim manager Don Mattingly told reporters that the team's not ruling Luzardo out for a potential postseason start, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.

Philadelphia recalled right-handed pitcher Grant Holman from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Luzardo's place on the roster.

The inflammation Luzardo's been dealing with has caused stiffness in his shoulder. That's why the Phillies scratched him from his scheduled start against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday. The setback comes at inopportune time for Luzardo and Philadelphia.

The southpaw's last start was his best. In a Sept. 7 game versus the Braves, he recorded his first career shutout, striking out 12 and allowing only two hits. Not only will Luzardo have to wait to see if he can build on that stellar performance, but his absence will coincide with the Phillies' pursuit of a playoff berth.

Philadelphia entered Tuesday night's road game against the Washington Nationals 4.5 games back of the Braves in the NL East and with an 83-67 record, which, at the time, was good for the second of the three available wild-card spots. But the San Diego Padres (82-68) are on their heels, and the Arizona Diamondbacks (80-71) aren't too far behind, either.

Luzardo isn't just coming off a milestone start. The 28-year-old's amid a career year. He's got a 2.87 ERA, and his 221 Ks were the fifth most in the majors as of Tuesday morning.

Plus, Luzardo was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for August.

His IL designation has been backdated three days to this past Saturday. While he's technically eligible to return for the final game of the Phillies' regular season, a Sept. 27 home game versus the Tampa Bay Rays, it's possible Philadelphia will prioritize his playoff availability.

"I don't think anyone's worried this is long term, this is into next year or anything like that," Mattingly said, per The Associated Press. "I think we do think he's going to be ready to pitch at the end of the year. We just have to take care of our business to get there."