Aaron Nola will rejoin the Phillies for their series in Washington. Is a six-man rotation up next?

CINCINNATI — A rotation reinforcement is on its way to the Phillies.

Aaron Nola will join the team for their series against the Nationals in Washington, which starts Thursday.

Nola struck out 11 across 5⅔ innings on Tuesday in his third rehab start with triple-A Lehigh Valley. He completed a workout on Wednesday and is poised to soon make his return from the injured list, where he has been since May 15.

Nola was “really good. Command was excellent,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Breaking ball was good. He was in total command.”

After putting up a 6.16 ERA in his first nine starts of the season, Nola suffered a sprained right ankle. His time on the shelf was later extended because of a rib fracture.

His expected return comes at a good time for the Phillies, after a tough outing for Ranger Suárez on Tuesday night in which he saw diminished velocity and command. Suárez’s next turn in the rotation would be lined up for Sunday against the Nationals, but the Phillies have not yet announced who will start that game.

It’s possible that Nola could slot in Sunday, as his next start is also lined up for that day. Thomson said he is considering moving to a six-man rotation or bumping Suárez.

Suárez maintains that he feels healthy. But his struggles in the second half are part of a bigger trend for the left-hander. His ERA before the All-Star break this year was 2.15. Across five starts in the second half, that marker is now 6.59. Last season, his ERA of 2.76 in the first half became 5.65 after the break.

Earlier this season, after a start in Atlanta on June 29, Suárez reported back and shoulder soreness. That sounded alarm bells, as Suárez has a history of issues with his back. But he said Tuesday that his back has not continued to affect him.

» READ MORE: Command issues plague Andrew Painter, but Rob Thomson is not worried: ‘The stuff is definitely there’

“I felt way better,” Suárez said through a team interpreter. “Atlanta was one of those days when you’re like, ‘Oh, this is what I have now.’ But afterwards in the starts that happened since that one, I have felt way better.”

Moving to a six-man rotation could give Suárez more time to get back on track, and it also could help lighten the load on the rest of the starters. Zack Wheeler has also been experiencing lower velocity recently, although he said he is not concerned about it.

“It’s that part of the season where the innings are starting to rack up a little bit,” Wheeler said. “So just catching up to me a little bit. But just got to push through it.”

Jesús Luzardo’s 133 innings are about double the amount he threw in 2024, and Cristopher Sánchez is on track to throw 196 innings this season and surpass last year’s career high of 181⅔.

“I think [a six-man rotation] could benefit everybody, to tell you the truth,” Thomson said earlier this week. “We’ve been riding these guys pretty hard all year.”

Max Kepler was out of the starting lineup on Wednesday, while Harrison Bader slotted in for an opportunity against Reds right-hander Hunter Greene.

With Brandon Marsh in left, Bader in center, and Nick Castellanos in right, it marked the fourth outfield alignment the Phillies have used across the first six games of this road trip.

“I’m trying to get these guys, keep them in the mix here,“ Thomson said. ”Bader’s had a couple of good at-bats against [Greene] in the past. Just try to keep him in the flow.”

Bader entered Wednesday 2-for-7 with a home run in his career against Greene, who made his first start in two months after being sidelined with a groin injury.

Alec Bohm (rib) went 1-for-4 with a home run on Wednesday for Lehigh Valley, in the lineup as designated hitter. He will play third base on Thursday, DH on Friday, and third base on Saturday. ... Daniel Robert (blister) pitched one inning Tuesday for the IronPigs. He allowed two hits, one run, and one walk and struck out one. He is scheduled to pitch again on Thursday. ... José Alvarado made his third appearance of his minor-league assignment Wednesday, throwing one inning and allowing one hit and one walk. He touched 98 mph on his sinker. ... Luzardo (11-5, 4.20 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday’s series opener against Nationals right-hander Brad Lord (3-6, 3.28).