Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Jeremy Hellickson's departure from Philly delayed due to car accident

Hellickson wasn't injured in the crash, but had to take his girlfriend to the emergency room.

Phillies’ pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, seen here in the Phillies dugout on Friday, was involved in a car accident on his way to the airport.
Phillies’ pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, seen here in the Phillies dugout on Friday, was involved in a car accident on his way to the airport.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer.
    by Rob Tornoe
    Published 

Former Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson's girlfriend was briefly hospitalized after the veteran's car was rear-ended on his way to Philadelphia International Airport to join the Baltimore Orioles, according to multiple reports.

ESPN reported that Hellickson, who was traded by the Phillies for outfielder Hyun Soo Kim and pitching prospect Garrett Cleavinger on Friday, wasn't injured in the incident, but that he took his girlfriend to the emergency room for minor injuries. He had been scheduled to join the team in Texas on Sunday, but instead will fly to Baltimore and join the team on Monday.

Baltimore Sun Orioles reporter Jon Meoli wrote that Hellickson told pitching coach Roger McDowell he felt fine following the fender-bender, and that the team hopes he'll make it to Baltimore on Sunday to throw a bullpen session to prepare for his yet-to-be scheduled debut.

"I've got an idea of which way we're going to go, but if there's some whiplash issue or something he feels, I just don't want to get ahead of ourselves and start moving a lot of other people around and not knowing what Dan and the organization are going to do between now and Monday and have to flip it again," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. "I'm trying not to create a lot of discord within the pitchers."

In 20 starts for the Phillies this season, Hellickson had a 4.73 ERA. The 30-year-old started off strong with a 1.80 ERA in April, but has posted just a 5.79 ERA since. According to my colleague Matt Gelb, the Phillies still owe Hellickson roughly $7 million, which they agreed to pay to sweeten the deal.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear how much playing time the Phillies will give to Kim, a 29-year-old outfielder who had just 125 at-bats for the Orioles this season. As my colleague Matt Breen wrote, Kim won't be cutting into the playing time of Aaron Altherr, Nick Williams, or Odubel Herrera, who have solidified themselves as starters.

"I don't know how much time I'll be able to get for Kim," manager Pete Mackanin said. "It's a conundrum."