Kilian heads to IL with moderate left oblique strain, out 'for a while'
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ST. LOUIS -- A mere week after acquiring him from the Giants alongside Luis Arraez at the Trade Deadline, the Phillies placed RHP Caleb Kilian on the injured list Monday with a strained left oblique.
“They said moderate strain,” interim manager Don Mattingly said Monday before the first game of three between the Phillies and the Cardinals. “I don’t know what that means or what grade that is, but [head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit] told me moderate.”
Mattingly then concurred that Kilian would be out “for a while.”
“The obliques, they take a minute,” he added.
Kilian has made four appearances for Philadelphia since joining the club with Arraez in exchange for Minor League pitchers Marty Gair and Ramon Marquez. He’s allowed seven runs (five earned) in 3 1/3 innings pitched across those appearances, striking out three and walking two.
He departed following the 12th inning of Sunday’s 7-6 win over the Blue Jays, notching his first Phillies win in the process. The victory, however, came with a steep price, as Kilian grabbed at his side and was in noticeable discomfort after inducing a popout from Alejandro Kirk to record the final out of his single inning of work.
Kilian was replaced on the active roster by Chase Shugart, who had been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley before Sunday’s game.
“We didn’t really want to send him out in the first place,” Mattingly said of Shugart, who was sent out in favor of Alan Rangel’s ability to offer a fresh arm. “We like what he does for us, and this gives us an opportunity to bring him back.”
Shugart is 2-1 with a 4.93 ERA in 33 relief appearances this season, his first in Philadelphia.
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The acquisition of Kilian was designed to provide the Phillies with additional bullpen depth as they attempt to stave off challengers -- including the Cardinals -- to their place in the Wild Card race. His breakout season with San Francisco made him an attractive option to fulfill that need, and his injury now leaves his new club working through ways to fill his spot for what might be an extended absence.
“Disappointing for us. Disappointing for him, I believe, too,” Mattingly said. “Guys don’t want to be hurt and not be in there. But we’ve got to move on and next-guy-up type of thing, and we’ll go from there.”