Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola has been sidelined with a right ankle sprain since May 15. However, the second-place Phillies may not have to wait much longer for his return.

Nola is set to begin a rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley against the Worcester Red Sox, per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber.

The 32-year-old has largely avoided the injured list throughout his 11-year MLB career, all with Philadelphia since being selected by the team seventh overall in the 2014 draft.

Before landing on the IL, Nola had a 6.16 ERA in 49.2 innings with 52 strikeouts and 16 walks. He’s allowed 11 home runs in nine starts this season after leading the league with 30 homers allowed in 2024.

Although Nola has struggled in recent seasons, he’s been one of the most durable starters in the majors. He’s finished within the top 15 for the National League Cy Young Award voting four times throughout his career, and was named an All-Star in 2018.

There’s no doubt that the Phillies’ already strong starting rotation is even better with him in it when he’s healthy. Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez have led the way this season, but Ranger Suarez is having another solid campaign as well. Jesus Luzardo started the year hot, but has tapered off since June. Meanwhile, Taijuan Walker has been shaky again, but not nearly as bad as he was in 2024. That said, he’s not a full-time option moving forward.

Rookie Mick Abel made his debut and was up with the team for a while, too, but was eventually sent down to Triple-A after a string of poor outings. There is a chance he could be moved at the upcoming trade deadline on July 31, as top prospect Andrew Painter waits in the wings and will hopefully debut sometime soon.

When Nola is reinstated, Philadelphia hopes he can toss some “vintage” outings down the stretch and be ready to contribute once the postseason arrives. Until then, the Phillies will see how he fares on a minor-league rehab assignment.