Could Philadelphia Phillies Seek Hot Starter Following Aaron Nola’s Setback?

With Aaron Nola set to miss more time than expected, the Philadelphia Phillies might need more urgency with taking care of their starting rotation.

May 10, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera (27) delivers a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola faced a setback rehabbing from his sprained ankle as an MRI revealed a stress fracture in his right rib cage, as first reported by The Athletic's Matt Gelb on X (formerly Twitter).

He will be shut down for two weeks and will likely miss more than a month.

Nola's setback comes when the Phillies have lost five of their last six. And with Jesus Luzardo allowing 20 runs in his last two starts and more than doubling his ERA from 2.15 to 4.46, more instability in the starting rotation could not come at a worse time.

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Philadelphia is still in comfortable position to buy at the deadline, but may have to trade for a starting piece sooner than expected should Nola's setback roll over into anything more significant. And there's a solid option out there, but the Phillies might have to look in-division.

An MRI showed a stress reaction in Aaron Nola’s right rib cage, Rob Thomson said. Nola will not throw for at least two weeks. A rather significant setback that probably means he doesn’t return until after All-Star break.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) June 10, 2025

Edward Cabrera is one of the Miami Marlins' young pitching pieces that has had an up and down start to his career, and this year epitomizes that.

He started off the season with an April ERA of 7.23, but has a 2.03 ERA in his last six starts for a full-year ERA of 3.99.

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Cabrera, 27 years old, is a 6-foot-5 starter with a powerful arsenal. According to Baseball Savant, he throws his change up at 93.4 miles an hour, almost seven miles an hour faster than the average for right-handed pitchers.

He also throws a sinker, curveball, slider, and four-seem fastball, all at above-average velocity. He uses all five pitches at least 14% percent of the time, making him a true five-pitch pitcher.

Cabrera's interesting tools and age could make him a high-upside acquisition for both the immediate future and long term — he could make a great compliment to the Phillies' effort to make Mick Abel and Andrew Painter the future of the rotation.

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