Phillies' Latest Injury is a Bigger Blow Than You Think

The Philadelphia Phillies swung two major deals at the MLB trade deadline, first acquiring second baseman Luis Arraez and right-handed relief pitcher Caleb Kilian from the San Francisco Giants and then landing lefty reliever Brooks Raley in a trade with the New York Mets.

Obviously, Arraez was the headliner of both packages. Raley and his sub-2.00 ERA was also a terrific addition.

But then, there was Kilian, who flew under the radar but was absolutely an important pickup given the fragile state of the Phillies' bullpen.

Now, it looks like Philadelphia will be without Kilian for a while, as the 29-year-old just suffered an oblique injury, and Don Mattingly expects him to be sidelined for an extensive amount of time.

Make no mistake: Kilian has not been good since arriving in Philly. He has given up at least one run in all three of his outings, and he has surrendered five earned runs overall. His ERA has now ballooned to 4.91 on the season, and his 1.364 WHIP is subpar.

But a quick look under the hood shows a pitcher who is likely underperforming and could ultimately be quite the weapon for a Phillies squad that has struggled to hold leads due to a shaky set of relievers.

Kilian's 10.6 K/9 is rather impressive, and his 3.82 FIP and 3.53 xERA are both good indicators that he has gotten a bit unlucky. He induces ground balls at a rate of 48.4 percent, and 19.4 percent of the contact he allows is soft.

Is anyone going to confuse Kilian for Mariano Rivera? Absolutely not, but he is a decent arm who could be of real value when he is available.

The problem? Kilian isn't available now, and with just over a month-and-a-half remaining in the regular season, Lord knows when we will see him again.

Phillies fans might have already been ready to throw in the towel on Kilian after his early returns. Let's face it: the Philadelphia faithful are not exactly a patient bunch. But those who actually look at the underlying numbers would see Kilian's potential.

The fact that Kilian will now be sidelined for an extended period of time is actually a bigger blow than you think, and the the Phillies' front office knows it.