Phillies starter J.A. Happ has some soreness in his left elbow and will have his next start pushed back, the team announced Monday.
Happ is 1-0 in two starts so far this season giving up no earned runs in 10.1 innings. He left last Thursday’s game against Washington after throwing 103 pitches in five innings.
The 27-year-old lefty’s turn in the rotation was supposed to be Wednesday in Atlanta but his start was pushed back as he battled a strain in his throwing elbow.
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. updated Happ’s situation.
“Happ experienced soreness in his left elbow after his last start,” said Amaro. “He was seen by Dr. Michael Ciccotti and had an MRI. The MRI revealed a very mild flexor pronator muscle strain. J.A. has been progressing and improving since then, but we will take a conservative approach and skip his next start. He is scheduled for a bullpen session on Thursday.”
The Phillies have the luxury of skipping Happ because of an off day Monday. They will send struggling Kyle Kendrick to the hill as scheduled Tuesday. Ace Roy Halladay and the ageless Jamie Moyer will both then start on five days rest to round out the Braves series.
The Phillies will need to come up with some other option in the rotation at some point since they play nine straight days including stops in Atlanta, Arizona and San Francisco.
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Long-reliever Nelson Figueroa or a minor-leaguer like Andrew Carpenter could make a spot start to give the other pitchers regular rest.
