The Phillies are close to sounding the alarm for Jose Alvarado, who was recently placed on the injured list due to elbow inflammation.
The Philadelphia Phillies placed left-hander Jose Alvarado on the 15-day injury list on Wednesday for his elbow issue, and the latest update may bode more bad news.
Alvarado initially felt discomfort in his left elbow during warmups on Tuesday, and he was officially placed on the IL the following day due to elbow inflammation. The IL move is retroactive to Monday, May 8, which makes Alvarado eligible to return on May 23.
Based on Phillies manager Rob Thomson's recent comments, though, Alvarado isn't out of the woods just yet. While Thomson spoke to reporters about Alvarado's condition, the reliever was seeing another doctor to hopefully provide more clarity.
According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Thomson said he was "a little concerned" about Alvarado's MRI.
The team should know more about Thomson's injury later today.
Phillies appear "concerned" about Jose Alvarado's elbow injury
In the 2023 season, Alvarado has played in 14 games, and he arguably hasn't been overworked at all — he's only appeared in back-to-back games once. The 27-year-old has been on a tear, recording a 1.88 ERA with 24 strikeouts and zero walks.
Alvarado is expected to travel with the team to watch the team's upcoming road games in Colorado and San Francisco, and Philly is no doubt hoping the lefty can recover in a short amount of time with no lingering side effects.
Six weeks ago, Alvarado signed a two-year extension with a club option for a third year, a deal that prevented Alvarado from hitting the free agent market after 2023.
With Alvarado out, the Phillies will lean on a rotation of relievers that likely includes Craig Kimbrel and Seranthony Dominguez. Prior to his IL stint, Alvarado was already splitting closer duties with Kimbrel, but Kimbrel has been suffering a bad spell of form in recent weeks.
The Phillies will be holding their breath for Alvarado's doctor visit as they await what they can only hope is good news.