Phillies all-star Aaron Nola shares concerning update on return from rib injury

Phillies All-Star pitcher Aaron Nola was ramping up for his return this month. However, a sudden unrelated injury has now kept him out for the foreseeable future.

Nola was originally sidelined in mid-May after an ankle sprain. But as he was ramping up reps for his return, a sudden rib issue surfaced. The All-Star hurler spoke to members of the media on Friday and shared details about the injury that has hampered his chances of getting back on the mound.

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"I really don't know [when I'll return.] I've never had an injury like this before. I feel like it would be different if it was a muscular type of thing," said Nola to the media.

What was originally believed to be a light strain on his rib turned out to be a stress fracture. The Phillies hurler last played May 14 against the Cardinals, when he gave up nine runs on 12 hits.

"It definitely wasn't the news I was expecting. It kinda came on stronger when I was getting a little hotter from my ankle.

Nola also revealed the issue affects him even when breathing.

When I breathe really heavy and my ribcage gets big, and obviously throwing."

When asked about the cause of the rib injury, Nola said he had no idea and that there wasn’t a specific event when he first felt the pain.

"It could have, I'm not really sure, I just know that I felt it more when I started to ramp back up after the ankle felt a little bit better. Honestly, I don't really know. I guess it's from throwing and working that area a lot. I'm not sure."

Phillies' bizarre and unfortunate injury concerns

Unlike other National League powerhouses like the Dodgers and Mets, who have several players on the injured list, the Phillies have fewer players sidelined but more impactful absences.

At the time of writing, only two players are officially on the Phillies’ injury list: superstar Bryce Harper and All-Star pitcher Aaron Nola.

Harper has been sidelined by a recurring wrist injury that landed him on the 10-day injured list. He hasn’t played since June 5 against the Blue Jays. Nola has been out since May due to the ankle issue. As he prepared to return, it was discovered he has a fracture on his right rib, which will keep him sidelined long-term.

In 2024, the duo combined for 8.5 fWAR. Harper won the Silver Slugger Award and finished sixth in the NL MVP race, while Nola posted a 14-8 record and led MLB in starts with 33.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago