Luis Villegas' return could happen on Saturday night. PBA Images (file photo)
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Will Luis Villegas finally get to play some PBA action again this Christmas weekend?

Rain or Shine announced on Tuesday that the six-foot-eight center has been activated ahead of the team's PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal showdown against Meralco on Saturday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

To make room for Villegas, the Elasto Painters relegated Shaun Ildefonso to the injured reserve list.

The former University of the East star was drafted third overall in the 2023 PBA Draft, but he only played a grand total of eight games for ROS as he was dealing with persistent pain in his surgically repaired knee.

Coach Yeng Guiao even joked to reporters last month that Villegas could only be available again by 2030.

However, 2030 could come five years early with the recent Villegas activation, which could come in handy as the Elasto Painters need more muscle inside to deal with the Bolts' solid big man rotation led by Brandon Bates and Cliff Hodge.

Being the number two seed after the elimination round, ROS holds a twice-to-beat advantage against Meralco in the quarterfinals, even as it looks to repeat its 96-95 win earlier in the conference.