Out with a sprained right ankle, Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola was scheduled to throw a live batting session on Thursday, but manager Rob Thomson said on Wednesday that mild soreness in Nola’s right side put the session on hold.

The Phillies have no timetable for when Nola, who is 1-7 with a 6.16 ERA in nine starts this season, will get back on a mound to continue his rehab process.

“We’re just being precautionary. We’re just going to hold off,” Thomson told reporters. ” … It’s very mild, but we just want to make sure it’s OK.”

Nola, who turned 32 on Wednesday, was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 16 after injuring his ankle May 8 during pregame agility drills. He said last week that he expected he would need to make a rehab start in the minors before rejoining the Phillies’ rotation.

Nola is in the second year of a seven-year, $172 million contract signed before the 2024 season. An All-Star in in 2018, when he finished 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA in 33 starts, Nola is 105-86 with a 3.78 ERA over 277 starts.

The Phillies selected the Baton Rouge, La., native in the first round (No. 7 overall) in the 2014 draft, and he debuted the following season. Before this stint on the IL, the only other time he missed a start was in 2021 during a 10-day stint on the COVID-19 injury list.

Also on Wednesday, the Phillies placed right-hander Zack Wheeler on the paternity list and recalled right-hander Mick Abel to pitch at Toronto. Abel made his second career start, and he threw 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, winding up with a no-decision as the Blue Jays won 2-1.

–Field Level Media