Everyone in Philadelphia was concerned when Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vincent Velasquez left just two pitches into Wednesday's start, throwing two pitches that were under 90 miles per hour. When the Phillies announced Velasquez was initially diagnosed with a biceps injury, there still remained concerned he may have torn his UCL for the second time in his career.
Philadelphia took caution with the young, hard-throwing right-handed pitcher. On Friday, the Phillies placed Velasquez on the disabled list with a right biceps strain. He will miss at least two starts, and potentially more depending on how cautious the Phillies play it.
But while the Phillies will miss the starter who held a 3.65 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 73 strikeouts over 61 2/3 innings pitched. Velasquez entered the week with an impressive 10.65 K/9 rate this season and his 3.57 FIP showed his numbers on the year were not a fluke or a sign that a major regression was coming.
The best news for the Phillies, which provided a giant sigh of relief for all of Philadelphia, is that Velasquez MRI came back clean and there is no structural damage around his pitching elbow. When he does return, Velasquez will once again become a great DFS play on a weekly basis and a must-start pitcher in season-long leagues.