Phillies news: This take on Jesus Luzardo's injury concern will catch fans' attention

With the Philadelphia Phillies looking to make noise in the playoffs, which are right around the corner, the team still hasn't released information on the return of injured star pitcher Jesus Luzardo . As Luzardo was placed on the injured list (IL) by the Phillies before the postseason, this MLB insider shares a concern that could scare fans.

Speaking on "Foul Territory," league insider Ken Rosenthal pointed out that, with no status yet for Luzardo in the playoffs, he found a statistic that could have some fans blaming Philadelphia for the current shoulder injury. He found that in Luzardo's last nine starts, he "threw more pitches during that time frame than anyone in the majors."

"In his last nine starts before he was injured, he threw more pitches during that time frame than anyone in the majors. Theoretically, it was not anything he could handle. Most in his career, over a nine-start span, but it led to this shoulder issue," Rosenthal said.

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More on the shoulder injury to Phillies' Jesus Luzardo

Rosenthal would then speak on how, before the Phillies acquired Luzardo from the Miami Marlins , the Chicago Cubs had been interested, and even "backed out of a deal" for him due to medicals they weren't comfortable with. However, those were back and elbow issues, as Rosenthal mentioned, with him relaying that Philadelphia doesn't believe that the injury is that serious.

"They don't believe it's terribly serious, and they don't believe he will be out for the postseason," Rosenthal said. "But certainly, their prospect of dominating the postseason, perhaps with their rotation, is less of a situation than it was earlier. Probably looking at [Aaron] Nola as the No. 3 and not Luzardo, and [Cristopher] Sanchez hasn't been as good down the stretch. So, it's a much greater concern for the Phillies than it was earlier."

So far this season for Philadelphia, Luzardo has recorded a 2.87 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP with 221 strikeouts and a 14-5 record in 29 starts.

At any rate, it remains to be seen when Luzardo can return to the Phillies and if it'll be just in time for the playoffs.