Philadelphia Phillies Place Reliever on Injured List, Call Up Reinforcement

The Philadelphia Phillies are already turning to Triple-A for relief help in the wake of an injury to a reliever who pitched on Saturday.

Mar 15, 2024; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Luis Ortiz (56) / Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies placed relief pitcher Luis Ortiz on the 15-day injured list ahead of Sunday’s game with Atlanta after he suffered a sprained left ankle.

To replace him on the active roster the Phillies recalled pitcher Nick Nelson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Ortiz suffered the injury while pitching in the sixth inning of the Phillies’ loss to the Braves. Ortiz gave up two runs on three hits in less than an inning of work.

That was his first relief appearance of the season.

The Phillies already have a reliever on their injured list in Orion Kerkering, but they expect to get him back soon.

Ortiz was starting his second season with the Phillies. Last year he pitched in 14 games and didn’t figure in a decision. He had a 3.32 ERA and recorded one save. He threw 19 innings, gave up 23 hits, struck out 16 and walked five.  

He previously spent time with the San Francisco Giants (2022) and the Baltimore Orioles (2018-19).

Nelson, a right-hander, joined the Phillies in late 2021 after the New York Yankees traded him and Donny Sands to the Phillies for T. J. Rumfield and Joel Valdez.

Nelson made 47 appearances for the Phillies in 2022, as he went 3-2 with a 4.85 ERA with 69 strikeouts and 36 walks in 68.2 innings. He recorded his first career save.

He made just one appearance with the Phillies last season, going 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA. He pitched 5.1 innings, gave up two hits and one earned run while striking out three and walking two.

Nelson broke with the New York Yankees in 2020 and went 1-2 in 22 appearances across the