Luis Arraez won't be on the Phillies' wild-card roster as he continues to recover from a sprained ankle he suffered late in the regular season. Interim manager Don Mattingly made the announcement Monday, a day before the Phillies take on the Braves in Atlanta to open the best-of-three series.

"We still get improvement every day, but not enough," Mattingly told reporters. "He was going to try to hit today and just wasn't able to do it. So, we kind of crossed that bridge today."

Arraez sprained his left ankle trying to avoid a tag at first base in the Phillies' loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night. The three-time batting champion finished second in the National League in batting this season with a .310 average.

Jesus Luzardo will start Game 1 for the Phillies, serving as an opener, Mattingly said. Cristopher Sanchez is scheduled to start Game 2. The Braves will counter with ace left-hander Chris Sale in Game 1, with right-hander Tyler Mahle likely to go in Game 2.