The Philadelphia Phillies will have to wait a little bit longer for Jose Alvarado to return. The hard-throwing left-hander has been sidelined due to an elbow injury since July 6th and although he's progressing well in his rehab, Alvarado just suffered a setback after dealing with hand cramps.

Via Matt Gelb:

“José Alvarado had some cramping in both hands, Rob Thomson said, so they'll wait to send him to the minors. He'll throw another live session Thursday instead. No concern right now about the elbow.”

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The Phillies were planning to send Alvarado to the Minors to get some innings against live hitters but instead, he'll just throw a live bullpen later this week. Hopefully, the cramping doesn't return. If all goes well, Alvarado will probably then head down and face hitters in the Minors.

The 28-year-old is absolutely dealing in 2023, posting a 1.39 ERA in 26 appearances. He's struck out 39 in 26 innings while issuing a mere eight free passes. Alvarado's WHIP also sits at 1.15 and he's collected six saves. The southpaw is extremely difficult to hit with a fastball that reaches triple digits.

There is no question the Venezuelan is a key arm for Philadelphia late in ballgames. The sooner he's back, the better. Since the elbow is essentially healed up, Alvarado could be back in the Phillies bullpen by next week. Philly is very much in the National League Wild Card race with a 61-51 record. With the NL East undoubtedly the Atlanta Braves for the taking, the Wild Card is their only way of making the postseason and hopefully, making another World Series run.