Players nearing the major leagues can sometimes see the writing on the wall before their first call-up, but Mick Abel did not.
He had no reason to. The Phillies had five starters plus Taijuan Walker in the bullpen. Aaron Nola had struggled mightily but hadn’t missed time with an injury in over eight years.
“We were in Syracuse playing the Mets’ Triple A. I had no idea it was coming,” Abel said Saturday afternoon from the Phillies’ dugout during batting practice.
“Our manager, Anthony Contreras, called a meeting and was talking about the team’s success, how we’re not riding the highs too much, and at the end he was like, ‘We’ve got a lot to celebrate today,’ and he said it. I was pretty surprised.
“I was a little star stuck at first, like, he said my name? I put my head down and didn’t know how to feel, I was pretty overwhelmed. Once I stood up, emotions started flowing, I started dapping guys up. It was fun.”
Abel is up for one start and one start only. He will make his big-league debut Sunday opposite Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes in an exciting pitching matchup to end the Phillies’ six-game homestand.
Abel is up because Nola was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right ankle sprain. Nola suffered the injury last Thursday in Tampa and pitched through it for two starts, allowing four runs in five innings in Cleveland, then nine runs on 12 hits to the Cardinals at home.
The ankle felt a little bit better after the Cleveland start, Nola said Friday, but it lingered into the outing against the Cardinals, which was the worst of his career.
Nola had to adjust his mechanics in that one, he said, because he couldn’t rotate his foot properly. His back then tightened up. The Phillies want to sit him down for a few weeks so he doesn’t adjust anything else to compensate and injure a different body part.
The Phillies do not expect Nola (1-7, 6.16 ERA) to miss much time beyond the 15-day minimum, manager Rob Thomson said Friday. But Abel will make just this start, regardless. Walker will slot into the rotation spot on Wednesday at Coors Field. Thomson made this clear to Abel.
Maybe it puts a little less pressure on the 23-year-old former first-round pick.
“I think so,” Thomson said. “We did it with Sanchy a couple years ago. I FaceTimed him and said you’re coming up here and it’s just one start and you’re going right back, so just come up here and be yourself, pitch like you are right now, you’re gonna have success. Just relax and have fun, enjoy the moment. And he did, he pitched really well.”
These are the Phillies’ probable starters for the week ahead:
Sunday vs. Pit: Mick Abel
Monday at Col: Cristopher Sanchez
Tuesday at Col: Jesus Luzardo
Wednesday at Col: Taijuan Walker
Thursday at Col: Ranger Suarez
Friday at Sac: Zack Wheeler
Saturday at Sac: Cristopher Sanchez
Sunday at Sac: Jesus Luzardo
Abel was the Phillies’ top pick in the 2020 draft, the first high school pitcher selected. He’s made 92 starts in the Phils’ system since 2021 and has put together the best run of his mjnor-league career this year, going 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA in eight starts. He’s 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA in the last four.
“Any time a guy makes his debut whether it’s a position player or pitchers, it’s always exciting. And he’s had a lot of focus on him since he signed because he’s a high draft pick,” Thomson said.
“He’s had some struggles in the past but he’s really put together a nice season this year. I told him today just come in here, one start, be yourself and have fun. Enjoy the moment.”
Abel has always missed bats but control has been a consistent issue. He walked 143 batters in 222 innings in 2023 and 2024. He’s down from 5.8 walks per nine innings to 3.7 this season. Sometimes, it’s been nibbling. Sometimes, he’s admitted over the years, it’s been thinking too much.
Right now, he’s trusting his stuff, pitching with confidence and intent.
“I’m expecting all the nerves in the world,” he said, “but at the end of the day, it’s the same game, just a different place.”
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