Reeling Phillies lose Hoskins to IL with elbow injury

The Philadelphia Phillies are sending Rhys Hoskins to the injured list with an ulnar collateral ligament ailment in his left elbow, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi would not rule Hoskins out for the rest of the season and said he could return for the final four games of the campaign, Gelb added.

Philadelphia finds itself in a precarious playoff situation after dropping five of seven to the Miami Marlins. The upstart division rivals now hold a 1 1/2 game lead for second place in the NL East, relegating the 23-23 Phillies to one of the final two NL playoff spots.

All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto will also be sidelined for a few days but will not need an IL stint, per Gelb. Zack Wheeler will be evaluated further for a freak fingernail injury after he missed a start, though the team is encouraged by his status.

Hoskins, 27, has been one of the Phillies' most productive hitters, authoring a .245/.384/.503 slash line with 10 homers and one stolen base over 41 games.