If there was any question of whether or not J.A. Happ would pitch out of the bullpen in the postseason, today’s news should erase it.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel announced that left-hander J.C. Romero has not recovered from his strained forearm injury and will need another month until he is fit to pitch.

That means the Phillies will enter the postseason without one of its biggest bullpen pieces last year, and most consistent left-hander.

Romero was huge in the 2008 postseason, including winning two games in the World Series.

With Romero no longer an option, the Phillies will likely turn to Happ and Scott Eyre to get out left-handed hitters in the late innings. It also means an already shaky bullpen is in that much more disarray.

The other option the Phillies have is to use September call up Sergio Escalona, but that seems unlikely as Escalona has just 11 appearances under his belt.

Romero returned to the Philies last week, but after an outing on Monday he reported soreness in the same forearm. This certainly was not Romero’s year. He started the season having to sit out the team’s first 50 games due to a suspension. A little more than a month after his return the forearm injury surfaced.

The Phillies have done a nice job surviving Romero’s absence, but it will only get harder from here.

Hopefully Happ an Eyre will be up to the task.