The Philadelphia Phillies are currently in second place of the NL East division.
Their 18-20 record is not good, but the calendar still marks May 20: there is a lot of baseball to be played.
The problem is that the Phillies have fallen into a sizable hole already.
They are seven games behind the New York Mets in the standings as of Friday afternoon.
Additionally, they have a big problem with Bryce Harper‘s elbow injury.
The outfielder has a partially torn elbow ligament and can’t throw.
Since he can’t throw, he can’t play the outfield for more than a month, and is limited to the designated hitter spot.
That is less than ideal because it forces the Phillies to play lousy defenders like Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, and Alec Bohm just to keep their bats in the lineup.
The Phillies Need To Take Advantage Of A Unique Chance
Still, the season is extremely young, and the Mets have some injury questions of their own that give the Phillies some hope.
“Max Scherzer has hit the DL and will likely be out for the next 2 months. If the Phillies are going to get back into the NL East race, now is the time,” Phillies insider John Stolnis tweeted.
Max Scherzer has hit the DL and will likely be out for the next 2 months. If the Phillies are going to get back into the NL East race, now is the time.
— John Stolnis (@JohnStolnis) May 20, 2022
The next two months will be crucial for the Phillies (and the rest of the teams in the NL East).
If they can’t catch the Mets, or at least erase some of difference, while Scherzer and fellow ace Jacob deGrom are on the injured list, they probably won’t be able to do so when they return to headline New York’s rotation.
Of course, theys can always counter with some trades before the deadline, but they don’t have many assets to move.
The time, for them, is now.
NEXT: Bryce Harper Makes A Trade With A Fan