Aaron Nola has always been the guy the Philadelphia Phillies could count on. He’s known as one of baseball’s most durable pitchers, a true workhorse on the mound. But recently, Nola sustained an injury that has left him and the team completely surprised. It’s not just a simple setback; a strange and unexpected twist has put his season on hold. This situation raises big questions for a Phillies team that has its eyes set on a championship, leaving everyone wondering what happened and what comes next.

For Nola, this time of uncertainty has unfortunately coincided with a challenging span for his team. The Phillies are in the middle of a significant rough stretch, slogging through a period of inconsistent play. From May 29 through June 11, the team won four out of fourteen games. This slide included series losses to the Brewers and Pirates. But most importantly, it exposed issues not limited to the starting rotation. The offense stalled, the bullpen struggled, and the team found itself searching for a spark to re-ignite its season.

But at the heart of the matter is a baffling surprise for Nola. A sprained ankle in May turned into a sudden, drastic new direction. As he started gently increasing his recovery, a new pain emerged in his side. The shocking results came from an MRI on June 9. “Definitely wasn’t the news I was expecting,” Nola confessed. He revealed the issue was not a minor strain but a stress fracture in his right ribcage, a truly rare injury for a pitcher.

Nola’s frustration is obvious when he talks about the diagnosis. “I’ve never had a stress fracture in my rib before, so this is really new to me,” he said. Nola doesn’t have a precise idea of where it came from, but he assumes it is a result of the repetitive motion of pitching. “I guess it’s from throwing, and I get work in that area a lot. I’m not really sure,” he said, obviously frustrated by the absence of an identifiable cause. All of this is a reflection of how much the injury has haunted a player who counts his unyielding preparation and availability among his best attributes.

With such a unique injury, the timeline for Nola’s return is shrouded in uncertainty. Manager Rob Thomson has been clear, stating, “I don’t have a date of return.” The immediate plan involves a complete shutdown from throwing for at least two weeks, which began on June 10. After that, ‘The Toughest Phillie‘ faces a lengthy rehab process, from playing catch to bullpen sessions and minor league starts. A return before the mid-July All-Star break seems highly unlikely, pushing his potential comeback into the latter half of the season.

This setback is especially jarring given Nola’s remarkable track record of durability—a quality that has defined his career until now.

Testing the depth: Phillies navigate key absences

This injury hits differently because of Nola’s Iron Man reputation. He hadn’t missed a start because of injury before that since 2017. In that time leading up to this injured list stint, he led all MLB pitchers with 241 starts and an astounding 1,466 1/3 innings pitched. His early 2025 season was already a struggle, posting a 1-7 record with a 6.16 ERA. That decline, along with the stress fracture, of course, raises whether that underlying physical concern was already beginning to influence the durable right-hander.

The Phillies are dealing with more than Nola’s absence, though. Star slugger Bryce Harper has been on the injured list with right wrist inflammation, hampering the lineup’s power. And outfielder Brandon Marsh missed some time recently with an elbow issue, although he’s back on the field. Complicating matters is that top prospect Justin Crawford has been on the Triple-A disabled list since early June with a quad strain, challenging the team’s depth at a couple of different stops.

Despite the challenges, the Fightin’ Phils rotation is still formidable. Zack Wheeler is still the man with a 2.85 ERA and the team-high 101 strikeouts. Ranger Suárez has been dynamite, with a 5-1 record and a 2.70 ERA. Cristopher Sanchez has also been another good arm at 3.10. These arms have dragged the team’s starting pitcher ERA as a whole down to a respectable 3.70, tenth-best in baseball.

To fill the void left by Nola, the team is turning to its youth. Mick Abel has looked good in his first few major league starts, but he has a long way to go. And the organization has high expectations for top prospect Andrew Painter, projected to be with the big-league club after the All-Star break. The performance of these young pitchers will be key as the Phillies try to stay in a competitive division.