Injuries & Moves: Hays, Turnbull set to begin rehab
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10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST
OF Austin Hays (kidney infection)
Expected return: Sept. 24 vs. Cubs
Hays will began a two-game rehab assignment on Sept. 21 with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He will DH in his first game and play left field in the IronPigs’ season finale on Sept. 22. Hays will use Sept. 23 as a recovery day, with the expectation that he will be activated to play the second game of a three-game series against the Cubs.
If the Phillies clinch a first-round bye, their postseason will not begin until Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Oct. 5. Hays said on Sept. 19 he would be “100 percent” ready for that following two rehab games and a week of facing live pitching with the Phillies, whose regular season ends on Sept. 29 in Washington.
Looking back, Hays said he thinks he had been feeling the effects of his kidney infection for weeks before he landed on the IL on Sept. 5 (retroactive to Sept. 2).
“I’ve been in the big leagues now for five, six years,” Hays said. “I know what it feels like when you’re fatigued from playing. When you’re way beyond that -- and I had been dealing with that feeling in my legs and my body for a while -- my legs started to feel that way around the time I had injured my hamstring [on Aug. 7]. My rehab during the hamstring, I just never felt like myself. So I think it was just something that had been in there for a while. Finally, it showed itself when things got really bad [in September].
“I feel 100 percent like myself now.”
It is unclear what role Hays will play upon his return. Before Hays went on the IL because of the infection, Phillies manager Rob Thomson called him the team’s everyday left fielder. But with so much time missed and Hays’ significant platoon splits against lefties (.940 OPS) and righties (.556 OPS), he could share time in left field in the postseason. (Last updated: Sept. 20)
60-DAY INJURED LIST
RHP Spencer Turnbull (right lat strain)
Expected return: Possibly this postseason
Turnbull is scheduled to make a rehab appearance on Sept. 22 with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The IronPigs’ season ends that day, so afterward, Turnbull will return to the Phillies' complex in Clearwater, Fla., to continue his rehab.
It is unclear, however, if Turnbull will be ready by the National League Division Series, which begins Oct. 5.
Turnbull last pitched for the Phillies on June 26, when he departed after just three innings in Detroit after feeling a "little grab" on his second-to-last pitch. He was diagnosed with a right lat strain and went on the 15-day IL the following day. Turnbull was transferred to the 60-day IL on Aug. 17. (Last updated: Sept. 20)
RHP Andrew Painter (Tommy John surgery; No. 2 on Phillies Top 30 Prospects list)
Expected return: 2025
Painter threw another live BP on Sept. 17 in Clearwater, Fla., which went well, according to manager Rob Thomson. Painter experienced general soreness in his right elbow in August, but that's common for pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery. The possibility exists that he could pitch in the Arizona Fall League, but no announcement has been made. Painter will still be just 21 years old on Opening Day next year. (Last updated: Sept. 19)
INF Rodolfo Castro (right thumb UCL repair)
Expected return: TBD
Castro was recalled and placed on the 60-day IL on Sept. 7. Due to injuries, he has played in just 23 games between four Minor League levels in 2024 (Triple-A, High-A, Single-A and Rookie-level). (Last updated: Sept. 7)
RHP Luis F. Ortiz (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Possibly 2025
Ortiz underwent Tommy John surgery on July 11 and will be sidelined for the rest of the 2024 season and most, if not all, of the '25 campaign.
Ortiz originally went on the IL because of a sprained left ankle he sustained on March 30. He had started to work his way back from that injury before the Phillies recalled him from his first rehab assignment in late April after he started to experience inflammation in his right shoulder.
That had subsided enough for Ortiz to begin another rehab assignment on June 11, but his recovery was once again derailed when he began experiencing forearm discomfort before further testing revealed the need for surgery. Ortiz was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 5. (Last updated: July 11)