Phillies' Closer Jhoan Duran Makes Encouraging Progress in Injury Rehab

Jhoan Duran was able to take an important step in his rehab from injury.

Apr 11, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jhoan Duran (59) throws a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

As the Philadelphia Phillies get set for a doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants to close out their series following a postponement on Wednesday night, the team received some good news on the injury front. 

It has been a really poor start to the season for the Phillies, who have a record of (10-19) and recently just fired their manager. Rob Thomson ended up taking the blame for the bad start to the campaign, but it certainly wasn’t all his fault. 

The Philadelphia offense has been really poor for the most part this year, with key players struggling. The inability of the team to hit left-handed pitching stems from the right-handed hitters getting off to bad starts. 

While the sample size might be small, they did have a bit of an offensive outburst against the Giants in Don Mattingly’s first game. This was the type of spark that the team was hoping for. Now, the team might be getting some more good news with closer Jhoan Duran set for a bullpen session as he attempts to come back from an oblique injury. 

Duran Progressing is Great News

Jhoan Duran (oblique) is throwing a bullpen session today for the first time since his injury. He’s been on IL for 16 days. Phillies are optimistic about his progress.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) April 30, 2026

Due to all of the struggles and losses for the Phillies, they really haven’t missed their closer all that much. This is a team that hasn’t had too many leads for Duran to have come in and saved, but they hope that will change. 

An oblique injury can be very tricky, and Duran throwing a bullpen session for the first time is a big step in the right direction. The right-hander was a key trade deadline acquisition for the team last summer and has been really good ever since the Phillies acquired him. 

With Philadelphia last year, he totaled a 2.18 ERA and saved 16 games. For a team that has struggled to close out games, Duran is exactly what they were seeking. Furthermore, even though the injury has kept him out for just over two weeks now, he was off to a solid start to the campaign as well. In seven appearances, he has totaled a 1.35 ERA and has saved five games. 

As the Phillies hope to continue to turn things around, getting their star closer back in the bullpen will help. Even though he hasn’t been missed much because of the struggles, Philadelphia will need him healthy and to anchor the ninth inning if they are going to run down the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.