Philadelphia could suddnenly be without a key piece of its offense — and there’s still a playoff spot hanging in the balance.
Second baseman Luis Arraez suffered a sprained left ankle while trying to avoid a tag from first baseman Jake Bauers during the sixth inning of a 5-1 home loss to the Brewers on Thursday.
X-rays came back negative and though manager Don Mattingly is “hopeful” Arraez will return later this season, he admitted the team will need to “see where it goes” with three regular-season games left.
Philadelphia has yet to clinch a playoff spot entering the final series of the season.
The freak injury happened when Arraez attempted to avoid a tag after Cooper Pratt’s wayward throw pulled Bauers off the base, and his leg appeared to twist the wrong way.
He went down holding his left leg in a brutal-looking injury.
Philadelphia (87-72) has a two-game lead on the last Wild Card spot, with the Diamondbacks holding onto a shred of hope to sneak into the playoffs.
Arizona, though, holds the tiebreaker after the teams split their six regular-season clashes, with the Diamondbacks fairing better inside their respective division.
The Phillies have missed out on chances to clinch, going just 2-4 in their last six games against the Mets in New York and the Brewers at home.
Philadelphia has a magic number of two entering the final weekend and can clinch Friday with a win at home against the Rays and a Diamondbacks road loss to the Padres.
“We’re in the driver’s seat,” Phillies star Bryce Harper told reporters when asked about their inability to lock up the postseason slot.
For Arraez, the injury locks up the National League batting title as he ends his regular season with a .310 average.
The Phillies acquired Arraez at the trade deadline in exchange for minor league pitcher Caleb Kilian.
Beyond the one playoff spot up for grabs, NL Wild Card seeding is still to be determined since the Padres (89-70), Cubs (88-71) and Phillies are all within two games of one another.
Arizona can only qualify as the No. 6 seed, should it pass Philadelphia.
