WASHINGTON -- Jesús Luzardo was placed on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation Tuesday ahead of the Phillies’ series opener against the Nationals.
The move, which is retroactive to Saturday, comes three days after Luzardo was scratched from his scheduled start in Atlanta due to left shoulder stiffness. The original plan was for the All-Star left-hander to not throw for two days, then be re-evaluated Tuesday in D.C., where he would potentially try throwing.
But his shoulder did not improve the way the Phillies had hoped, leading to the IL stint instead of a throwing session.
“Right now, it's just inflammation throughout the shoulder,” Luzardo said. “Trying to get the inflammation to calm down. Try to get the muscles to relax and be able to throw without pain.”
Left-hander Kyle Backhus was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill the open roster spot.
It is a troubling development at this point in the season for the Phillies. They entered Tuesday holding the second National League Wild Card spot, but just a half-game behind the Cubs for the all-important No. 1 Wild Card spot. The top Wild Card team will host the No. 2 Wild Card team in a best-of-three series.
The Phillies are just one game ahead of the Padres for the final Wild Card spot. They're also 4 1/2 games behind the Braves in the NL East.
But Luzardo and the team remain hopeful he will be able to return for the postseason if the Phillies make it. The southpaw is eligible to come off the IL on the final day of the regular season, when the Phillies host the Rays. If all goes well, he could make an appearance in Game 162.
Otherwise, the next time he takes the mound might be in a playoff game.
“Ideally, the timeline does work out that way,” Luzardo said. “Obviously, we have to see where I'm at throwing-wise. But the plan is to be ready to go for October. And yeah, I feel fully confident.
"It's been a long year. I've thrown a lot of pitches. Three weeks off the mound or without being on the mound might be a little rusty, you would think. But I'm confident in myself in my preparation and I know that we're gonna do all the work necessary to be ready to go that first time I touch the mound.”
Luzardo last pitched on Sept. 7, when he threw a two-hit shutout against the Braves. He has a 1.93 ERA over his past 21 starts dating to May 14, and the Phillies are 18-3 in those games.
“I think anytime you lose a guy that's been throwing the ball like this, it is a blow,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “But that doesn't change [that] you still have to take care of the guy, no matter how big of a blow it is. We've got to do what's best for him.
"I don't think anybody's worried that this is long term -- that this is into the next year or anything like that. I think we do think that he's going to be ready to pitch at the end of the year. We just got to take care of our business to get there.”
Some good news is that Luzardo said he has already felt some improvement in his left shoulder.
“Way, way better. Way better,” he said. “We've made a lot of progress and it feels way better, but just not ready to [push it]. I feel like now if we start throwing, we start pushing it, and then we have a setback -- [and] now we're looking at a later date into the postseason. So I think where we're at was just: Let's get it right so that we don't have to worry about this into October.”
It’s also good news that Luzardo does not feel that this is a long-term issue. It’s just unfortunate timing given the stakes at this time of year. He has not received any kind of injections for the pain, and the recovery plan is to continue treatment to flush it out.
“Definitely concerned just because I want to be back for the team for the end of the season and ready for the postseason. Level of concern for the future, not that high,” Luzardo said. “I know it's something that will go away with time, but right now, we don't have that much time. So that's just where I'm at. A little frustrated with what it is, but not that concerned in the long run."
Luzardo is 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 29 starts this season, striking out 221 and walking 52 in 178 2/3 innings. He was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for August.
As for the rotation, Mattingly said the Phillies have not decided how they will fill Luzardo’s spot over the final 12 games of the season. They will use a bullpen game at some point, with the possibility of a second some time next week.
“That's one of the things we haven't had a chance to talk through,” Mattingly said. “I think we need to talk through it, because it kind of does bleed into the rest of the rotation, too.”