The Phillies started pitcher Nora had a stress reaction in her right rib and was banned from pitching for two weeks

According to yesterday's MRI, Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola has a stress response in his right rib, meaning he will be sidelined longer than expected and will be banned from pitching for two weeks before being re-evaluated.

"I don't have a specific date for my return," coach Rob Thomson said ahead of today's 4-8 home loss to the Cubs, "but I know he won't even practice passing and receiving for the next two weeks." ”

Even if Nora is allowed to resume pitching after two weeks, he will still have to go through the entire rehabilitation process, which includes multiple cowshed practice throws at intervals of several days, before moving on to striking against the batter. Nora, who hasn't been on the board since May 14, may need to complete multiple starts in minor league rehab missions to gradually recover if she enters this phase. With just over a month left in the All-Star break (July 14-17), it's likely that he won't be back until the second half of the season.

Nora was initially on the injury list with a sprained right ankle after playing in Cleveland on May 14, which eased and allowed him to finish his bullpen practice throw on June 1. But a few days later, when he was ready to face the beater, he reported stiffness in his flanks. With Nora suffering from a cold at the time, the team had hoped that the discomfort would only be a side effect of excessive coughing, but an MRI revealed a different outcome.

It was a big blow to Nora – he has become one of the most durable starting pitchers in the major leagues. This is the first time he has been on the injury list (excluding Covid) since 2017 (when he missed at least 10 days due to a back strain), the only previous one being in 2016 (right elbow strain). He started at least 32 full seasons from 2018 to 2024, and even started all 12 of the 60 games in 2020. Since 2018, Nora leads all pitchers with 1,314.1 innings pitched, with teammate Zack Wheeler second with 1,289 innings.

"Very frustrated," Thomson said when asked about the setback, "Nora is a contender and he's eager to pitch on the court." ”

The Phillies will continue to rely on Mick Abel to replace Nora, who started his third career start on Tuesday night. As the team's No. 8 rookie, he handed over a 0.79 defense percentage, 11 strikeouts and no guarantees in his first two major league games.

Thomson added that Nora's long-term absence won't change the Phillies plan for Andrew Painter. The team's number one rookie and MLB Pipeline All-America's No. 5 rookie started five innings at AAA Lehigh Valley on Tuesday night, struck out eight hits, lost six points, and grabbed four strikeouts without a warranty, and is expected to play again on Sunday, the first time this season he pitched after a normal break. Pointer is still on track to join the Phillies in July — possibly after the All-Star break.

During this time, Phillies will have more opportunities to visit Abel.

"I think he's just going to have to take it one game at a time and go all out," Thomson said.