May 14, 2019
The Phillies injury list is continuing to grow, as Vince Velasquez' arrival on the slate of hurt players ramps it up to seven.
Velasquez has a forearm injury and was replaced in the starting rotation by Cole Irvin, who may "Wally Pip" the Phils veteran hurler as Irvin made an impressive seven inning, one run debut over the weekend. When Velasquez returns it may be in a bullpen role.
Several other bullpen arms are on the mend including early season mainstays Edubray Ramos and Victor Arano. Bad news seems to be in store for David Robertson, as the high profile offseason acquisition will be out until at least the end of June with his lingering elbow injury.
Looking for some good news? Scott Kingery — who was on fire to start the year before going down with a bad hamstring — is slated to start rehabbing in Lakewood (where the team was rained out two days in a row) as he targets the next few weeks to return to Philly.
“One thing that I believe is important is for us to strike and have him back when he feels ready and feels like his timing and his rhythm is good rather than put a specific number of at-bats on it,” Kapler said, via NBCSports Philly of Kingery's soon to begin minor league rehab. “I don’t think you want to stretch it out for too long and I don’t think you want it to be too short. We’ll build him up sensibly with his long-term interests leading the strategy.”
Here's an updated look at the infirmary ward and the expected return date (or at least the earliest date they will be eligible to return to the MLB club) for each of those players. Keep in mind that their stints on the IL can be renewed if the player is not healthy:
| Player | Injury | Return | Stats |
| Vince Velasquez | Forearm | May 18 | 3.86 ERA in 6 starts |
| Edubray Ramos | Shoulder | May 20 | 4.66 ERA in 9.2 IP |
| David Robertson | Elbow | June 23 | 5.40 ERA in 6.2 IP |
| Roman Quinn | Groin | May 18 | 3 hits in 27 at bats |
| Scott Kingery | Hamstring | May 17 | .406, 2 HR, 5 RBI |
| Victor Arano | Elbow | May 24 | 3.86 ERA in 4.2 IP |
| Tommy Hunter | Elbow | May 28 | Has not played |
It will be interesting to see what the Phillies choose to do with their bullpen as their arms become available once again — and also with Roman Quinn, who will likely find his way back into a steady role as the fifth outfielder after Aaron Altherr was lost to the Giants on waivers when he was designated for assignment.
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