Phillies cross fingers that Seranthony Dominguez' trip to injured list will be brief

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The Phillies are taking no chances with Seranthony Dominguez. Even before getting a look at the results of an MRI, the team placed the hard-throwing closer on the 15-day injured list Sunday morning due to tightness in his right triceps.

"They sent him for an X-ray last night just to check for bone chips and stuff like that and that was clean," manager Rob Thomson said. "Now he's going to get an MRI today just to see if there is any structural damage."

Dominguez admitted to being worried about his condition on Saturday night, but there seemed to be hope Sunday morning that the issue was not serious.

"We're hoping when his time on the IL is up, he's back," Thomson said.

Dominguez' assignment to the IL was backdated to Thursday. The earliest he could return would be September 2 in San Francisco. Coincidentally, that could also be the day that Bryce Harper is activated from the injured list. He has been out since suffering a broken left thumb on June 25.

The bullpen has been a strength for the Phillies since the team surged into contention in June. The Phils have now lost two members of the unit in a week. Corey Knebel had to leave last Sunday's game in New York with what was first called a lat strain. According to Thomson, Knebel also has a tear in his shoulder capsule. The pitcher will try to treat the injury non-surgically for now, but his season is over as he was placed on the 60-day injured list. That placement opened a spot on the 40-man roster for the Phillies to add right-hander Tyler Cyr from Triple A. He takes Dominguez' spot on the active roster.

Dominguez, 27, had Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2020 and pitched only sparingly last season. He came back strong this season with a triple-digit fastball, a 1.64 ERA and nine saves in 46 games. He was striking out 11 batters per nine innings and had allowed just 26 hits in 44 innings. 

Even as Dominguez was racking up outs this season, team officials remained concerned about his post-surgery workload. Protecting Dominguez was part of the reason the club acquired veteran closer David Robertson at the trade deadline. That move looks even smarter now.

"He's coming off surgery and I said all year we've got to be careful with him," Thomson said of Dominguez. "This (trip to the IL) is just precaution, really, take the ball out of his hands and let him rest.

"In the back of my mind, I think I always thought there was going to be a time where we just gave him some time because he hasn't pitched basically in two years."

With Dominguez out, the Phillies will lean on Robertson and lefties Jose Alvarado and Brad Hand at the end of games. All have closing experience. Matchups will figure in Thomson's decision-making process. Connor Brogdon will also be important.

Thomson was unsure of whether Robertson would be available for Sunday afternoon's series finale against the Mets. The right-hander threw 36 pitches over two innings in nailing down a win Saturday night.

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