READING, Pa. — Phillies prospect Dante Nori had never missed real time due to injury in his young career. He played 125 games in his first full season in 2025. He battled through a shoulder issue earlier this year.
That’s what made it all the more difficult when the outfielder had to spend 11 weeks on the injured list for Double-A Reading, spending most of that time resting and recovering at the organization’s training complex in Clearwater, Fla. But Nori, a first-round draft pick in 2024, returned to the field this month, and he’s enjoying the home stretch as the Fightins make a push for the Eastern League playoffs.
“I’m feeling great,” Nori told Phillies Nation on Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium. “Body wise, it’s like a little reset at the same time. You don’t have to really worry about too much, playing through anything. So I was really anxious to get back up here.”
Nori, 21, began the season with Reading after a strong showing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic in March. He reached Double-A at the end of last year, giving him a chance to repeat the level in 2026. During the Fightins’ first home series in April, the speedy left-handed hitter sprinted into second base for a hustle double against Hartford, and he felt a tweak in his lower body.
The “weird” injury lingered for Nori, bothering him off and on. The son of Micah Nori, the new head coach of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, Dante Nori was taught to be a tough player. He battled and kept going.
“I grew up with my dad,” Nori said. “If it’s not broken, you’re going to play.”
As it turned out, something was indeed broken. Nori was struggling to manage the injury as May turned to June. And on June 6, he ran down the first-base line and realized he couldn’t push through anymore. He was removed from the game and placed on the seven-day IL for what he thought would be a quick one-week stint for a hamstring issue. But scans revealed a stress fracture in his pelvis.
“My first though was, ‘Hey, that’s my season,'” Nori said. “Stress fractures — you hear those, and it’s like season-ending.”
Nori was supposed to be facing a recovery of four to six months. Impressively, he got back in under three. Nori played five rehab games with Low-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore starting on Aug. 15 and was activated by Reading this past Tuesday.
“With that type of injury, I think he did a real good job,” Fightins manager Al Pedrique said. “The medical department did a great job by getting him back healthy. Obviously, the player has to really put in the time, the effort. He did that, and that’s why he’s back so soon.”
Nori couldn’t do much in Clearwater during his rehab. A fracture like his needed rest. He’d watch the Threshers if they were at home, and he’d play video games. There was a lot of downtime as he received treatment. But he got back to action quickly. “So I’ll take that as a win,” Nori said.
The Fightins (63-62, 33-23 in the second half) have 12 games remaining in its regular-season schedule. They lead the Eastern League Northwest in the second half by 3.5 games, and their magic number to clinch a postseason spot is down to nine. It’s a nice time for Nori to be back in the fold.
“I love competitive baseball and meaningful baseball,” Nori said. “So it just creates a great environment.”
Nori, despite hitting .240 with a .674 OPS in 56 games for Reading this season and going just 2-for-13 in his four games since coming off the IL, has already made an impact on the playoff race. Following his activation on Tuesday, he hit a two-run, game-winning home run in the bottom of the eighth inning versus Binghamton. Nori looked out to the bullpen and pumped his left fist as he trotted for the first time since April 16.
“The emotions I showed running around the bases was just building up for two and a half straight months,” Nori said. “Just to let that go and be able to help a team win the game and just give it my all for these boys, because they’ve done so much while I was in rehab to get into this spot. They’ve been playing their butts off. So I’m excited and can’t wait for it.”
