Jes\u00fas Luzardo\u2019s 2024 season in Miami ended after just 12 starts due to a stress reaction in his lower back.<\/p>\n
But that issue is behind him, according to Luzardo.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel 100 percent,\u201d Luzardo said on a Zoom call with reporters Monday. \u201cI\u2019ve felt 100 percent the whole offseason. Yeah, last year definitely the back was the root issue and the problem. And now that we\u2019ve got that all figured out, thankfully, everything is back to normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Phillies acquired Luzardo and Minor League catcher Paul McIntosh last week in a trade with Miami for prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd. The Phils expect Luzardo to bolster a rotation that includes Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Su\u00e1rez and Cristopher S\u00e1nchez. If everybody is healthy, it could be the best rotation in baseball.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s before the potential midsummer arrival of Philly’s top pitching prospect Andrew Painter, who has spent the past few years working out at the same South Florida gym as Luzardo.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Painter a good bit,\u201d Luzardo said. \u201cGrowing up down here, there\u2019s a tight knit baseball brotherhood. You know everyone. I heard his name a lot when he was young. \u2026 I\u2019m looking forward to sharing a clubhouse with him this year. He\u2019s a stud.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luzardo can be a stud, too. He went 10-10 with a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts with Miami in 2023. He started Game 1 of the 2023 NL Wild Card Series against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.<\/p>\n
Luzardo has All-Star-quality talent; he just needs to stay healthy. He missed two weeks early last season because of left elbow tightness, then he was scratched from his June 22 start because of a lumbar stress reaction. He didn’t pitch again.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what I understand, the stress reaction was just basically a vertebrae in the spine getting basically bothered by constant stress, constant rotation or the lack of rotation,\u201d Luzardo said. \u201cAt one point it just basically gets really irritated and bothered. It bothered me with a lot of things, tying my shoes, bending over to brush my teeth to rotating on the mound. It definitely affected me in a lot of different ways. It was frustrating to try to maneuver that and still get out there and pitch every five days. It got to the point where I just couldn\u2019t do it anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the shutdown, I took time off. Every doctor I saw said the same thing. These things actually heal really well. Once it happens once it usually doesn\u2019t happen again. It\u2019s more of just letting it calm down, letting it heal itself. Once you do get back, you should be good to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the third time Luzardo, 27, has been traded. The Nationals selected him in the third round of the 2016 Draft and a year later he was traded to the A\u2019s in a package for relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson. On July 28, 2021, he was acquired by the Marlins for Starling Marte.<\/p>\n
This time, Luzardo learned about the trade to Philly before he stepped onto a friend\u2019s boat to fish on Dec. 22.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was not what I expected on a Sunday morning,\u201d Luzardo said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely different. The first time, I was a little kid basically. I was in Rookie ball at the time so I didn\u2019t know much. The second time, I was caught a little more off guard, coming from the A\u2019s to the Marlins. This time, I could kind of see the writing on the wall, but it\u2019s always a change, a big change — your life kind of turned upside down. But definitely for a positive impact, I would say.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m super excited. Being able to witness the Red October and being able to pitch in that environment, being on the opposing side — now [I’m] looking forward to being on the home side, obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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