There’s never a good time for a player to go on the IL, yet Aaron Nola could probably use the mental break as much as the physical one. On Friday afternoon, the Phillies placed their former ace on the 15-day injured list due to a right ankle sprain. The move comes just two days after Nola allowed nine runs and 12 hits against the Cardinals.
Nola will only be 32-years-old in early June, yet the former seventh-overall pick is looking much older in 2025. Across nine starts and 49.2 innings, Nola’s pitched to an ugly 6.16 ERA with a 5.03 FIP. Most concerning? Nola’s surrendered a whopping 1.99 opponent home runs per nine.
Not to simplify things too much, but most of these struggles come down to the veteran’s diminished fastball velocity, which has slowly fallen off since 2019. This season, Nola sits in just the ninth percentile in average fastball velocity (91.0) and opponents are hammering the pitch to the tune of an .850 slugging percentage and a .487 wOBA. Statistically, it’s been one of the worst offerings in baseball in 2025.
