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Phillies right-hander Vincent Velasquez left Wednesday night’s game against the Marlins and was diagnosed with a strained flexor in his right elbow, according to the team.
RHP Vince Velasquez left tonight's game with a right elbow flexor strain.
— Phillies (@Phillies) May 31, 2017
Velasquez experienced diminishing velocity throughout his outing and was removed from the game after facing three batters in the second inning. Though the initial diagnosis is a strain of the flexor, there is no timetable for his absence at this point.
It’s safe to assume that the Phillies will keep Velasquez sidelined for at least a couple of starts, as he is set to turn 25 next month and is regarded as a key piece to the club’s future rotation. He has struggled to a 5.55 ERA in 48.2 innings this season, only a year after posting a respectable 4.12 ERA and 10.4 K/9 in 131 innings over 24 starts.
Philadelphia is already missing Clay Buchholz for the rest of the season due to forearm surgery, so they will move forward with a rotation of Jeremy Hellickson, Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and depth options like Nick Pivetta, Zach Eflin, Ben Lively and Jake Thompson.