Jesus Luzardo Scratched With Shoulder Stiffness, Sending Phillies Fans Into Panic Mode

The phrase "shoulder stiffness" is officially the scariest two-word combination in baseball, and Philadelphia Phillies fans are the latest to get the bad news.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Jesus Luzardo has been scratched from his scheduled start after his shoulder decided it was not cooperating today.

A late scratch is the ultimate chaos agent for a baseball morning. Sportsbooks immediately scramble to pull the game off the board, void the pitcher props, and try to figure out how to price a bullpen game on three hours of notice.

We do not have the full details yet on how severe this is, which means we are in the worst phase of the baseball injury cycle. Right now, "stiffness" could mean he slept on his arm weird in a hotel bed, or it could mean we will not see him throw a baseball again until the next presidential election.

For the Phillies, losing a rotation arm like Luzardo for any extended period is a brutal hit to their pitching depth. You can only patch together so many spot starts before the bullpen starts looking like a tired rec league team.

The team will likely send him for imaging to figure out exactly what is going on in that shoulder. Until the MRI results come back and the team makes an official roster move, Phillies fans and fantasy managers alike are just going to have to hold their breath.