Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Phillies Notes: Happ sent down; Ruiz OK'd for rehab

Before J.A. Happ left Citizens Bank Park to join the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, he met with Phillies manager Charlie Manuel along with pitching coach Rich Dubee and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

Before J.A. Happ left Citizens Bank Park to join the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, he met with Phillies manager Charlie Manuel along with pitching coach Rich Dubee and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

Manuel said Dubee and Amaro did most of the talking. Happ was disappointed.

"I don't expect him to be happy," Dubee said.

After Happ posted a 6.93 ERA in six rehabilitation starts, the Phillies had to make a decision on the lefthander before Wednesday, when his 30-day rehab assignment expired. He feels no effects from the strained left elbow that put him on the disabled list April 16.

But the results have not come. Happ was activated from the disabled list and optioned to triple A.

"It was a tough decision to send him down," Amaro said. "But I was honest with him. I didn't think he was pitching well enough to be in our rotation right now."

It is a precipitous fall for Happ, who was second in voting for National League rookie of the year while winning 12 games in 2009.

Manuel is convinced Happ will contribute to his team before 2010 is over. "He has to get right," he said. "We know what he can do. He's a rotation pitcher for us."

Consistency is the key right now for Happ, with both his location and mechanics.

"He held it for three innings the other day and was pretty good," Dubee said. "After that, he couldn't hold it."

Happ's first start will likely come Friday in Syracuse, N.Y. He will report to Allentown on Wednesday.

Ruiz to rehab

Catcher Carlos Ruiz met Tuesday with concussion specialist Michael Collins in Pittsburgh and was cleared to begin a rehab assignment for Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Ruiz has been on the disabled list since June 19 with a concussion after being hit by a broken bat. Amaro said Ruiz could return before the all-star break.

Backup catcher Brian Schneider (sprained left thumb) said he could start Wednesday's game.

Extra bases

Righthander Ryan Madson (broken right toe) pitched a scoreless inning for the IronPigs on Tuesday, striking out two. He will be evaluated by Phillies doctors Wednesday and could be activated. . . . Lefthander Antonio Bastardo (left elbow inflammation) will begin a rehab assignment for single-A Clearwater on Saturday. So will righthander Chad Durbin (right hamstring strain). . . . Manuel said he hasn't thought much about his starting pitcher for the All-Star Game. He didn't rule out Roy Halladay but didn't seem keen on the idea. Halladay leads the majors in innings. . . . Kyle Drabek, traded to the Blue Jays organization in the Halladay deal, threw a no-hitter for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Sunday in a 5-0 shutout of New Britain.