July 19, 2019
The Phillies have 10, count em, 10 players on the injured list — seven of them pitchers.
The team acquired Drew Smyly to help reinforce both the rotation and the bullpen Friday, but there will likely be some more moves made to improve the staff, and possibly their outfield, before the July 31 trade deadline.
And while the healthy return of one of their injured players would be almost as good as a trade acquisition (and much cheaper) there doesn't seem to be much good news coming from the Phils' infirmary.
With Hector Neris struggling, a healthy David Robertson would be a big pick-me-up, but as of Friday morning the veteran reliever has yet to begin his rehab assignment, though he has been throwing bullpen sessions and still could return before the end of July. Jerad Eickhoff, similarly, is slated at least on paper to be eligible for a return to the field in the next two weeks, but no news has percolated about his pending availability.
Here's a look at their current list of injured players and their soonest possible return to the field:
| Player | Injury | Earliest Return | Stats |
| Jay Bruce | Oblique | July 17 | .230/.279/.546, 24 HR |
| Sean Rodriguez | Abdomen | July 20 | .224/.324/.379, 2 HR |
| Edubray Ramos | Shoulder | July 26 | 5.14 ERA in 14 IP |
| David Robertson | Elbow | July 30 | 5.40 ERA in 6.2 IP |
| Jerad Eickhoff | Biceps | July 30 | 5.71 ERA in 58.1 IP |
| Victor Arano | Elbow | August 1 | 3.86 ERA in 4.2 IP |
| Seranthony Dominguez | Elbow | August 13 | 4.01 ERA in 24.2 IP |
| Tommy Hunter | Forearm | August 15 | 0 ER in 5.1 IP |
| Pat Neshek | Hamstring | September 10 | 5.00 ERA in 18 IP |
| Andrew McCutchen | Torn ACL | Out for season | .256/.378/.457, 10 HR |
The Yankees have 12 players on the IL, with two other teams slotting 11 players the Phillies have the third most. According to Spotrac.com, the Phils are paying nearly $39 million to currently injured players.
Arguably four of their best relievers, Robertson, Dominguez, Hunter and Neshek are on the list, watching like everyone else as the Phillies makeshift bullpen continues to struggle.
Whether the team can make the playoffs may directly tie into whether they can get themselves healthy as the push for the postseason continues to heat up.
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