The Philadelphia Phillies placed All-Star left-hander Ranger Suárez on the 15-day injured list with lower back soreness, they announced Saturday.
The IL stint is back-dated to July 24. Left-hander Kolby Allard was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson is optimistic that Suárez will only need the minimum 15 days off before returning, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
Suárez last pitched on Monday, when he allowed three earned runs while striking out four in 5 1/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins. The outing continued his recent downturn after a red-hot start to 2024. Since June 25, Suárez has allowed 22 earned runs while losing four of his five starts over that span.
The 28-year-old is still enjoying a career-best season and is a NL Cy Young candidate after putting up a 2.87 ERA, 2.98 FIP, and 1.06 WHIP along with 116 strikeouts and one shutout through 20 starts this season. Suárez was named an All-Star for the first time in his career but skipped the festivities in order to rest for the second half.
His injury is the latest blow to a Phillies rotation that's been the best in the majors so far this year. While the trio of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sánchez continue to shine, Philadelphia is already without back-end starters Taijuan Walker and Spencer Turnbull due to injuries.
Allard, who takes Suárez's active roster spot, posted a 5.60 ERA and 1.60 WHIP with 69 strikeouts and 30 walks across 19 total appearances (13 starts) split between the Phillies' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates this year. He's pitched in 69 big-league contests over parts of six seasons, including four games with Atlanta last summer.
