Phillies Leave Luis Arraez Off Wild Card Roster After Ankle Sprain

The Philadelphia Phillies finally stopped their late-season freefall just in time to punch a playoff ticket, but they are leaving their best contact bat in the waiting room. Luis Arraez has officially been left off the Wild Card roster ahead of their series against the Atlanta Braves.

A "pretty good ankle sprain" is how Don Mattingly described the injury that kept Arraez out of the final regular-season games against the Tampa Bay Rays. In medical terms, that translates to a guy who cannot run without looking like he is wearing concrete cleats, which is a massive problem when your entire offensive identity relies on getting on base.

"Don Mattingly described Arraez's injury as a 'pretty good ankle sprain.'"

The Phillies barely survived a living hell of a final week to get here. They dropped three straight to the Milwaukee Brewers and got outscored 14-1 in their first two games against the Rays before finally clinching the last National League Wild Card spot on Sunday. Now they have to face a loaded Braves squad without a guy who practically hits .300 in his sleep.

For anyone looking at the series odds, pulling Arraez out of the lineup completely changes the math for Philadelphia. You are replacing a guaranteed tough out with whatever bench depth the Phillies can scrape together against Atlanta's elite rotation, shifting the pressure entirely onto the rest of the core to manufacture runs.

Game 1 kicks off on Tuesday in Atlanta, and the Phillies will have to figure out how to survive the hard way. If they somehow upset the Braves, they can re-evaluate Arraez for the divisional round, but right now, they just have to hope their remaining bats remember how to hit.