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Phillies place 14-game winner Luzardo on IL with shoulder inflammation

The Philadelphia Phillies have sidelined southpaw starter Jesús Luzardo by placing him on the 15-day injured list due to swelling in his throwing shoulder, backdating the transaction to Saturday. Luzardo, who sat out a scheduled turn against Atlanta over the weekend, underwent an MRI that revealed no structural damage, though he refrained from throwing over the following two days.

The earliest he can be activated is the regular season finale on September 27. 87 ERA, and a career-best 221 strikeouts across 29 outings this year, having tossed a two-hit shutout against the Braves on September 7 in his previous appearance.

Luzardo's absence comes as Philadelphia battles for postseason positioning, clinging to the second National League wild-card berth just half a game behind Chicago, one game ahead of San Diego, and 3½ games clear of Arizona. Interim skipper Don Mattingly expressed optimism that the left-hander will return before the campaign concludes, emphasizing caution to ensure his full recovery.

To replace him on the active roster, the club bypassed an initial plan to promote Grant Holman—who surrendered five unearned runs in his lone outing this year—and instead summoned left-handed reliever Kyle Backhus from Triple-A Lehigh Valley shortly before dropping a 6-3 contest to Washington.