Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
When Ruben Amaro Jr. was at the helm for the Philadelphia Phillies, he often preached that you can never have too much starting pitching. That statement has held true even after his tenure as the Phils continue to deal with injuries and under-performing starters in their rotation. One of the key guys in the trade that sent Ken Giles to Houston was flame-throwing righty Vince Velasquez. While many believed his stuff would be best suited for the bullpen, the Phillies decided to put him in the rotation and he hasn't really endured a whole lot of success.
In 34 starts since coming over to the Phillies, Velasquez is 10-11 with a 4.52 ERA and before hitting the disabled list this season, he had a 5.58 ERA in 10 starts. On May 30, Velasquez exited his outing early after experiencing a significant loss in velocity, something that he went through last season before spending some time on the disabled list with a right biceps strain.
An MRI revealed a Grade 1 strain of the flexor pronator in his right arm/elbow. Matt Klentak told reporters it was about the best news they could get on Velasquez and according to CSNPhilly.com, the team hopes to have Velasquez back around the All-Star break.
Velasquez has a minor, Grade 1 strain of his flexor pronator in his right forearm/elbow area. He won't throw for three weeks and then the Phillies will gauge his progress.
The hope is to have Velasquez back some time around the All-Star break. The final two months of the season are extremely important for him because the same questions that existed last season about pitch efficiency and breaking ball command are still there.
Depending on the state of the Phillies rotation around the All-Star break, the team should consider trying Velasquez out in the bullpen. He hasn't performed well as a starter and his stuff could transition well to the bullpen, especially if he can learn to command his secondary pitches. That's the key for him though. He won't succeed at all in the majors if he cannot control his secondary pitches, otherwise hitters will just wait on his fastball and he'll get hit around like he has been this season.
For now, the Phillies will get extended looks at Ben Lively and Nick Pivetta and if they show some progress in the rotation, the team will have to make a decision on where Velasquez will fit upon his return. A stint in Triple-A won't be out of the question.
