There are approximately six weeks left in the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season and it has been reported by Rogers Sportsnet that the Philadelphia Phillies will soon go to a six-man pitching rotation.
Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola of Baton Rouge, Louisiana has been on the injury list with a sprained ankle, and is set to start on Sunday when the Phillies face the Washington Nationals.
The Phillies decision to add Nola to the rotation is interesting. That is because the former National League All-Star has been awful this season. Prior to the injury, Nola had a record of one win and seven losses with a terrible earned run average of 6.16 and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.51. The Phillies will be hoping that Nola returns to the stellar statistics he had earlier in his career.
Nola will join a rotation that includes Zack Wheeler of Smyrna, Georgia (10-5, 189 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.68), Ranger Suarez of Pie de Cuesta, Venezuela (8-6, 101 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.28), Christopher Sanchez of La Romana, Dominican Republic (11-4, 157 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.45), Jesus Luzardo of Lima, Peru (11-6, 158 strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.21), and Taijuan Walker of Shreveport, Louisiana (4-5, 62 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.39). Sanchez has the third best earned run average in the National League, and leads the Major Leagues with 17 quality starts. Wheeler leads the National League with 189 strikeouts, and is second in the National League with 16 quality starts.
The Phillies are not the only team that could have a six-man rotation soon. The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to have a six-man rotation next week as Shane Bieber is set to return from Tommy John Surgery.
The Phillies are at 69 wins and 52 losses. They lead the New York Mets by five games in the National League East.
