Phillies Manager Announces Six-Man Rotation with Nola’s Return

WASHINGTON — Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced Thursday that he will implement a six-man rotation starting this weekend to accommodate the return of pitcher Aaron Nola from the injured list.

Nola, a 32-year-old right-hander, is set to start in the series finale against the Nationals on Sunday. He has been recovering from a right ankle sprain and has not pitched in the majors since May 14.

Thomson noted, “Once for sure, and then we’ve got some other ideas how to attack this thing as we move forward.” He emphasized the need to manage the workload of his pitchers effectively, especially given that Philadelphia starters lead the majors with a total of 693⅓ innings pitched this season.

As part of the rotation, left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter will take the mound on Monday. Along with Nola, the rotation will include ace right-hander Zack Wheeler and fellow lefties Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez. Thomson acknowledged that this adjustment may create a shortfall in the bullpen.

<p"The one downside to it is you've got to take somebody out of your bullpen, so you're a little short there, but we'll just have to figure it out," he said.

In his rehab stint with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Nola posted an impressive 2.19 ERA across three starts, striking out 17 batters in 12⅓ innings.