Brad Keller’s forearm tendinitis had the Phillies holding their breath a little bit. But the imaging came back clean, which is about the best news the team could have gotten.
Keller has been on the injured list since June 16, and the right-hander has already started playing catch again. According to MLB.com, the next step is a bullpen session. If that goes well, the 30-year-old could be back on a major league mound sometime in early July.
The Phillies have been playing better baseball lately, climbing to 47-37 after a win over the Mets in New York. They’ve mostly papered over Keller’s absence with a patchwork rotation, but you can tell they miss the stability he provides. He’d been up and down before the injury, but a healthy Keller gives them depth they don’t really have right now.
This early July timeline is not set in stone, obviously. A bullpen session is a big step. If he feels anything off in his forearm, they’ll slow it down. But for now, things look good.
How the Phillies Are Making This Work Without Him
The rotation has held up better than you’d expect. Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suarez have been solid at the top, and Aaron Nola has steadied himself after a rough start to the season. They’ve gotten some decent innings from the back end too. But Keller’s return would let them push everyone back a slot, which makes the whole staff deeper.
And the timing matters. The Phillies are only three games back in the NL East now. The Braves have started to cool off a bit, and Philadelphia has a bunch of games against Atlanta still on the schedule. They won the division last year but then got bounced by the Dodgers in the playoffs. You can bet they’d love to be fully loaded when those Braves games come around.
The All-Star break is coming, and it’s happening in their own ballpark this year. That’s a nice milestone. But winning the division again is the real goal, and getting Keller back healthy will help the Phillies hit their stride coming out of the break. No need to sugarcoat it: they need him.
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