Aaron Nola was scratched from his scheduled spring training start Monday against the Yankees with the flu.
The Phillies instead went with 23-year-old right-hander Ramon Rosso, whose breaking ball has been impressive in camp. Rosso may carve out a role in the Phillies' bullpen this season.
With the international spread of coronavirus, any mention of an illness for an athlete right now is being met with a lot of concern. It's gotten to the point where the Warriors released a statement over the weekend clarifying that Steph Curry's flu is not COVID-19-related.
Nola should still have plenty of time to get his spring work in. He's already made three Grapefruit League starts and the Phillies have 14 spring training games left. Nola pitched four innings in his most recent spring start and if he gets two more, he should be able to approach the 80-pitch mark to get himself ready for opening day.
The good news for the Phillies is they can avoid airports for the next three weeks as the country remains on high alert because of coronavirus. The Phils open the season in Miami on March 26 and won't have to leave Florida until after their game March 29 when they fly to New York to take on the Mets.
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