The day after the Phillies found out they’d be losing their ace for at least 15 days due to a blood clot, the club officially activated another veteran rotation staple.
Right-hander Aaron Nola was reinstated to the active roster on Sunday morning ahead of his first start since May 14 in Philadelphia’s series finale against Washington at Nationals Park. Nola took the spot on the 26-man roster that was opened when Zack Wheeler was placed on the 15-day injured list with a blood clot in his right upper extremity on Saturday.
Additionally, third baseman Alec Bohm was taken off the 10-day IL after missing nearly a month. Otto Kemp was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move.
Since Nola was coming off the 60-day IL, the Phillies released IronPigs outfielder Cal Stevenson to create room on the 40-man roster.
Coincidentally, both Nola and Bohm were dealing with broken ribs. Nola suffered a stress fracture in his ribcage after initially missing time with a sprained ankle, and Bohm was hit by a pitch that broke a rib on his left side. Now both players are ready to return following minor-league rehab stints with Lehigh Valley.
Philadelphia (70-53) could suddenly really use the vintage version of Nola to help carry the load after Wheeler’s concerning diagnosis. Nola is typically good for nearly 200 innings of solid production, but he struggled early in the year and was sidelined for a prolonged stretch for the first time since 2017. The 32-year-old has a 6.16 ERA in nine big-league starts this season.
Bohm, 29, has not performed as well as expected. After an All-Star season in 2024, he’s hitting .278 with a .715 OPS, eight home runs and 12 doubles in 92 games. The Phillies could afford to add some right-handed power in the middle of their order, and Bohm showed last year that he can rack up doubles despite not being too much of a home-run threat. He did slow down in the second half of last season, so a strong finish could make a big difference for the Phils.
The 25-year-old Kemp hit 14 homers in 58 games at Lehigh Valley to start the season, but his power did not translate as easily in the major leagues. He batted .228 with a .657 OPS and four home runs in 46 games with the Phillies. Kemp was capable on defense at first base and in left field, but he committed five errors in 46 chances at third base.
Philadelphia decided to keep Weston Wilson, another righty hitter with a similar defensive profile who’s hitting .353 in August, on the roster over Kemp.
Stevenson batted .237 with a .717 OPS in 87 games for Lehigh Valley this season, and he was placed on the seven-day injured list at Triple-A this past Wednesday. He was originally acquired by the Phillies organization off waivers in May 2023 and appeared in 23 games for the big-league team in 2024 and 2025.
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