Making official what was expected, the Phillies have ruled out Cliff Lee returning to pitch again this season.
Lee is on the disabled list with a strained pronate flexor tendon and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com that the team won’t even have him begin a throwing program until “October or November.”
The good news, however, is that after being examined by a specialist it’s been determined that Lee won’t require surgery. Of course, surgery or not he’s now a huge question mark at age 35 and the injury makes it tougher for the Phillies to potentially trade Lee and the $37.5 million remaining on his contract this offseason.