Phillies pitcher gets crucial injury update as team battles for Wild Card spot

The Philadelphia Phillies have been slowly but surely making up ground in the NL East, now sitting just 5.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves after a recent win over the Miami Marlins. The Phillies have been hit hard by injuries this year, especially in the pitching department, but are hoping to get healthy just in time for the postseason.

On Wednesday, the Phillies got a positive injury update on left-handed pitcher Tanner Banks, who has been out of the lineup since early July due to a left forearm strain.

MLB.com noted that Banks “Threw live batting practice on Aug. 18 without any issues. Will throw at least one more live BP before potentially progressing to a rehab assignment.”

The publication also listed the pitcher’s expected return date as being sometime in mid to late September.

Banks is a big part of the Phillies’ bullpen attack and had been having a solid 2026 season prior to his injury, so the team will certainly hope that he continues to ramp up his recovery process in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the Phillies’ bats have started to wake up over the last several games, a trend the team hopes continues into the playoffs. Ironically enough, the Phillies have experienced the majority of their playoff success in the current era in years when they were a Wild Card team as opposed to division winners, so that may end up being their best path forward this season.

In any case, the Phillies will next hit the field on Wednesday evening for their series finale against the Marlins. After that is a weekend series at home vs the St. Louis Cardinals.

The post Phillies pitcher gets crucial injury update as team battles for Wild Card spot appeared first on ClutchPoints.