Phillies place pitcher on IL ahead of Cubs clash

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking for wins in the 2026 season, after a somewhat sluggish start. Philadelphia got some tough news on Tuesday, as the team had to place pitcher Zach Pop on the 15-day injured list.

The team announced the move in a social media post. Pop is dealing with a calf strain.

“To fill his spot on the 26-man roster, left-handed pitcher Kyle Backhus was recalled from Lehigh Valley (AAA),” the team announced on X, formerly Twitter.

Pop has primarily worked as a reliever, although he did start a game this season for Philadelphia. He holds a 3.68 ERA. This is his first season in Philadelphia. He spent the 2025 campaign with the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets.

The club is set to play the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. This season, the Phillies are 8-9 in the standings.

Phillies hope to get hot

Philadelphia is one of several teams in the National League looking to start winning games. The Phillies are currently two and a half games behind Atlanta in the NL East.

The team wasn’t supposed to struggle this much though in the opening weeks of the campaign. Philadelphia’s players think the club will turn it around.

“I think our lineup is great,” Phillies infielder Trea Turner said, per NBC Sports. “We’ve got great players up and down. Sometimes – and I’m guilty of this, too – you’re just trying too hard in those situations. You know it’s kind of a freebie. All you have to do is hit a fly ball to center field or move a guy over. Sometimes it doesn’t happen and it’s really obvious looking back at situations that could change a game. We understand them. We know what we’re trying to do, but it doesn’t always happen and I think that’s the difference in some of these wins and losses lately. I think we’re pitching pretty well and playing good defense. It’s just the timely hitting — moving guys, the sac flies, simple things — and that can change in a hurry.”

The Phillies and Cubs play Wednesday at 6:40 ET.

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