Philadelphia Phillies Place NL Cy Young Candidate on Injured List

The starting rotation for the Philadelphia Phillies has taken a hit after they placed one of their NL Cy Young candidates on the injured list.

May 21, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ranger Suarez in a game against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies haven't had the start coming out of the All-Star break that they and the fanbase had been hoping for.

Following two consecutive series losses against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins, they dropped a frustrating one against the AL-leading Cleveland Guardians on Friday where poor hitting and mistakes were on full display.

It's a long season so some blips are bound to happen, but entering Saturday with a 3-7 record over their last 10 games, that certainly isn't what anyone connected to the Phillies has come to expect.

In the short term, things could get a bit more challenging for Philadelphia.

They announced they have officially placed National League Cy Young contender Ranger Suarez on the 15-day injured list because of lower back soreness. In his place, they have recalled Kolby Allard from their Triple-A affiliate.

The Phillies have placed LHP Ranger Suárez on the 15-day IL (retro to 7/24) with lower back soreness. To fill his spot on the 26-man roster, LHP Kolby Allard was recalled from Lehigh Valley (AAA).

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 27, 2024

Suarez was one of the best stories during the first half of the season when he had one of the lowest ERAs in all of baseball.

Phillies fans have come to know just how good he is, but the national media and fans still weren't too familiar with the left-hander despite him dominating opposing lineups during Philadelphia's last two playoff runs.

Some warning signs were there that things might be catching up to Suarez.

Although his ERA is still 2.87 on the year, he allowed 12 earned runs in the month of July during his three starts, more than he allowed in April and May combined, and the same number of runs he gave up during June.

Manager Rob Thomson mentioned fatigue might be a factor.

The 28-year-old is on pace to smash his previous career high of innings pitched, which was 155.1 back in 2022. Through his 20 starts this season, he's already wracked up 119.1 frames.

So, this IL stint could also be a way to take some stress off his arm and give him a little breather during the long year so he can find some things heading into the playoffs.

Allard signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Phillies this offseason with many expecting he would be part of the rotation or used out of the bullpen. Instead, he was sent to Triple-A where he has largely struggled with an ERA of 5.60 across 19 outings and 13 starts.

Because of how dominant this rotation has been, there was no need to promote him.

Now that Suarez will be missing some time, Allard is getting an opportunity to step in and impact this team as they try to get things back on track.