The Philadelphia Phillies open their last regular-season series Friday night at Citizens Bank Park against the Tampa Bay Rays, and the first news out of the clubhouse was not the kind a contending team wants to hear.
Manager Don Mattingly said the latest update on second baseman Luis Arraez, who sprained his left ankle Thursday, was “kind of not a great one,” via Phillies insider Todd Zolecki.
The club still hopes he can progress enough to pinch-hit at some point this weekend. If that does not happen, the injured list remains an option.
Arraez left Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers after reaching first base on an errant throw from shortstop Cooper Pratt. He had to be helped off the field. The timing is especially difficult.
Philadelphia holds a two-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final National League Wild Card berth with three games left. Arizona owns the tiebreaker, so every remaining contest carries extra weight.
The Phillies are widely expected to play in the Wild Card round next week, and losing a high-contact bat from the middle of the order would complicate an already tight race.
Philadelphia acquired Arraez from the San Francisco Giants before the trade deadline. In 46 games with the Phillies he has hit .278 with a .309 on-base percentage and a .369 slugging percentage, adding two home runs and 21 RBI.
Those numbers are a step down from his first 105 games in San Francisco, where he slashed .324/.360/.440 with four homers and 43 RBI. Still, the 29-year-old remains one of the more reliable contact hitters in the league.
Over eight major-league seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Giants, and now the Phillies, he owns a career line of .316/.361/.415 with 42 home runs and 372 RBI.
He will be a free agent after the season after signing a one-year deal with San Francisco last winter.
Mattingly’s remarks leave the weekend in a holding pattern. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Eastern.
If Arraez cannot even pinch-hit, Philadelphia will have to lean more heavily on the rest of the infield while it tries to close out a playoff berth.
A modest improvement over the next two days could keep him available in a limited role. Anything less, and the Phillies may have to make a roster decision before the postseason roster is set.
For a team that added him specifically to stabilize the lineup down the stretch, the next 72 hours will determine whether that bet still pays off this October.
