Philadelphia Phillies fans worried closer Jose Alvarado could be out of action long-term: "Should have known he was too good to be true"
Philadelphia Phillies closer Jose Alvarado felt discomfort while warming up this week. He is dealing with inflammation in his throwing elbow, landing him on the 15-day IL.
Alvarado has already gone and had an MRI done. He will meet with a doctor to evaluate the results and see where to go from there. This isn't great for the hard-throwing lefty who has been on a tear this season.
José Alvarado had an MRI. He’s seeing a doctor to review it. A lot unknown right now; Phillies hope to have some clarity later today. “I’m a little concerned, for sure,” Rob Thomson said.
Alvarado has been Philadelphia's best relief arm. In 14 games, he has a 1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched. He also has 24 strikeouts and a 0.70 WHIP. The 27-year old is on pace to have one of his best seasons as a professional this year.
The injury has Philadelphia manager Rob Thompson worried. This isn't a good sign, as managers tend to keep quiet in expressing any concern this early into an injury.
"I should have known he was too good to be true" - one fan tweeted.
I should have known he was too good to be true. twitter.com/mattgelb/statu…
"Don't love the sound of this at all" - another fan tweeted.
Don’t love the sound of this at all twitter.com/mattgelb/statu…
@MattGelb That escalated fast
@MattGelb We can never be happy
Philadelphia Phillies fans are concerned that Jose Alvarado will miss significant time. Anytime a pitcher has an MRI, the first thing anybody thinks of is Tommy John surgery.
@MattGelb Now, I'm scared.
@MattGelb No no no no no no
@MattGelb Not good
@MattGelb @Buster_ESPN It’s why we can’t have nice things
LOVELY 🙃🙃 twitter.com/MattGelb/statu…
Alvarado's 15-game IL stint is retroactive to Monday. The team has called up reliever Andrew Bellatti to replace the injured southpaw.
Philadelphia Phillies need Jose Alvarado healthy
Hopefully, Jose Alvarado is just dealing with elbow inflammation and nothing more. The Philadelphia Phillies need him in the bullpen if they want to turn things around and climb up the division.
Heading into Wednesday, Philadelphia holds a 17-19 record, good enough for third place in the National League East. They are a half-game behind the Miami Marlins and eight games behind the red-hot Atlanta Braves.
While more than a handful of games behind the division leaders, the Phillies are starting to piece it together. They just got back their captain Bryce Harper back in the lineup.
With Harper back in the lineup, this team should move a bit differently. Harper is a huge piece of their offense. When he's healthy, he does nothing but produce at the plate.
As Harper has missed a month of the regular season, expect him to make up for lost time. It wouldn't be surprising if he goes on a tear this month, being the best hitter in all of baseball.
Don't sleep on this team as they start to put it together.