Phillies place Aaron Nola on IL; Mick Abel to make MLB debut Sunday vs. Paul Skenes, Pirates
The Philadelphia Phillies on Friday placed right-hander Aaron Nola on the 15-day injured list with a sprained right ankle, paving the way for 2020 first-round pick Mick Abel to make his big league debut Sunday against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Nola, 31, has struggled this season and is coming off an outing against St. Louis on Wednesday in which he allowed 12 hits, nine runs and three homers — all career highs — in a 14-7 loss. For the season, Nola is 1-7 with a 6.16 ERA in nine starts.
In 11 seasons with Philadelphia, Nola is 105-86 with a 3.78 ERA. It's the first time Nola has landed on the IL since 2017.
The Phillies recalled right-hander Daniel Robert from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Nola's roster spot. Robert was acquired from Texas in a trade on April 30. Robert was with the Phillies on Wednesday as an extra man for the doubleheader against St. Louis. He struck out a batter in a third of an inning.
Philadelphia begins a three-game series against visiting Pittsburgh on Friday night.
Cristopher Sanchez was scheduled to start Sunday against Skenes, but with Nola landing on the IL, the Phillies are moving their starters back a day each and reinserting Taijuan Walker into the rotation. Walker is 1-3 with a 2.62 ERA in eight games and six starts this season. Walker will start a game in Colorado next week.
The Phillies are calling up Abel, 23, for a spot start Sunday. The righty is having a resurgence in Triple-A this season, posting a 2.53 ERA in eight starts. Abel is expected to start Sunday and then head back to the IronPigs.
