Phillies Officially Activate Aaron Nola, Alec Bohm Off Injured List

The two star players for the Philadelphia Phillies are officially back in the mix.

May 14, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) shakes hands with third baseman Alec Bohm (28) after defeating the New York Mets at Citi Field | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies now have to deal with the aftermath of the Zack Wheeler news.

Following a frustrating 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Washington Nationals on Saturday, a bombshell piece of information was relayed by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski when he announced that the superstar ace had been put on the 15-day injured list due to having a blood clot.

That put a damper on what could have a been a sigh of relief on Sunday, because both Aaron Nola and Alec Bohm were expected to be activated off the injured list for the finale as the Phillies try to secure a split of this four-game set.

Despite the cloud of disappointment hanging over everything following the Wheeler news, Philadelphia at least made the anticipated roster moves official by activating both Nola and Bohm ahead of Sunday's matchup.

As part of the corresponding moves, Otto Kemp was optioned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and outfielder Cal Stevenson was released.

The Phillies announced the following roster
moves:

- Right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola was returned from his rehab assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley and reinstated from the 60-day injured list

- Third baseman Alec Bohm was returned
from his rehab assignment with Lehigh…

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 17, 2025

Kemp was a folk hero early on this season based on what he was doing with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. That prompted the fanbase to clamor for his call-up, which eventually occurred on June 7 when he had his contract selected for his Major League debut.

The 25-year-old had some good moments for the Phillies, but he has cooled off as of late, going 7-for-53 across his last 15 games to put his slash line at .228/.298/.359 across 46 total contests with four home runs, seven doubles and 17 RBI.

He'll now get to go down to Triple-A and work on some things to help him become an effective hitter again, potentially earning himself a spot when the league goes from 26 to 28-man rosters at the start of September.

As for Stevenson, following an incredible year with Lehigh Valley in 2024 which earned him a promotion to the Majors at one point, he has not been able to have that same success this season. And with Justin Crawford emerging as the likely first option in case of injury, the journeyman outfielder became expendable.

What To Expect From Nola and Bohm

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Despite the cloud that is hanging over the fanbase due to the Wheeler situation, there is no doubt that the returns of Nola and Bohm will significantly help the Phillies going forward, especially if both can return to their previous forms.

Nola got off to a horrendous start this year before initially hitting the IL with a sprained ankle, but the hope is that the extended time off combined with rehab has given his arm some time to finally rest so he can be the ace-caliber starter he's been in the past.

Similarly, following a winter filled with trade rumors, Bohm got off to a terrible start this season as well before turning his performance around to sit with a slash line of .278/.324/.391 prior to being placed on the shelf.

Slotted into the fourth spot in the lineup for Sunday's action, Bohm will attempt to offer the top three of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper protection to lengthen this batting order.