Should the Philadelphia Phillies shut down Aaron Nola?

Aaron Nola

Recently, the Philadelphia Phillies put right-handed pitcher, Aaron Nola, on the disabled list because of a right- elbow strain. The 23-year-old hasn’t had himself the year that him or the Phillies were expecting and now, with an elbow injury, gives the Phillies more of a reason to shut him down for the rest of the season.

This team has no reason to rush Aaron Nola back into the pitching rotation. The Phillies are not fighting for a playoff spot and should be more concerned about Nola’s future than what he can do for them this season.

Being the young pitcher that he is, the Phillies were already keeping an eye on his inning count throughout the season. Taking this into consideration along with the fact that more and more pitchers are suffering from arm injuries, it seems silly to risk injury for an extra three or four starts in games that are essentially meaningless.

Although Nola’s injury has not been deemed anything serious, it is clear that this season for him has been disappointing. Maybe, giving him time off would be in the Phillies best interest, even if it means just allowing him to get his head right.

Aaron Nola’s stat line has been something worth forgetting this year. He has had a couple of quality starts, but for the most part he has been underwhelming. With a 4.78 ERA and a record of 6-9, Nola really seems to be off in some facet of his game. With the recent call-up of Jake Thompson, the Phillies rotation will be fine if Nola gets shut down for the rest of the season. Now might be the time to make that happen. With a relatively young pitching staff, the extra games will allow these players to get more experience along with not pushing Aaron Nola through an injury.