Phillies Place Cliff Lee On The 15-Day DL

The Phillies have announced that they’ve placed starting pitcher Cliff Lee on the 15-day DL with a left oblique strain. The move is retroactive to Lee’s last start on April 19th. The team will recall left-handed reliever Joe Savery to take Lee’s place on the roster. During his first stint with the team, Savery pitched 2.1 innings, allowing one earned run. He had one walk and no strikeouts.

Kyle Kendrick is expected to make the start in place of Lee on Monday when the Phillies open a series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This is bad news for the Phillies as their hopes of staying afloat until Howard and Utley are able to return rest firmly on the shoulders of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Lee. With the offense already scuffling, the Phillies can ill afford to lose Lee for any amount of time. Lee has been relatively healthy throughout his career, so there’s a chance he’ll be able to return shortly after being eligible. Lee has thrown at least 210 innings every season since his Cy Young season of 2008.