A hamstring takes one of the Phillies best hitters out of the lineup for the foreseeable future
Phillies eccentric center fielder Odubel Herrera has been placed on the disabled list with a sore left hamstring. Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly reports that Herrera worked with a team trainer on the field Friday afternoon in San Francisco and walked off the field.
Herrera suffered the soft tissue injury while hitting earlier this week and hasn’t been in the lineup since August 14 in San Diego. Already having Aaron Altherr and Daniel Nava on the disabled list only stretches the depth for Philadelphia in the outfield.
Among the Major League leaders in doubles with 37 Herrera has been a source of both frustration and joy for fans looking for energy. Herrera certainly brings the energy, but it often takes away from his attention and baseball IQ on the field.
Since the All-Star break, Herrera has hit .383 with 20 extra-base hits in 29 games. Perhaps even more impressive, especially for Herrera, is the 19/12 K/BB ratio in that time period.
Last week he ran to third with his head down on a ball that got passed the catcher without seeing Freddy Galvis remaining at third. Herrera opted not to force a rundown and instead took his helmet off and took a critical out.
With Nick Williams and Rhys Hoskins manning the outfield the team has employed recently-acquired Hyun-Soo Kim and Cam Perkins in right field. Dylan Cozens could potentially make his major league debut in the near future if the team looks past his .215 batting average this season and more towards the 23 home runs.
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The Phillies return from a west coast road trip with an off-day Monday before a long home stand starting with a double-header Tuesday. The homestand will run from Tuesday through August 30th before the 25-man roster expands on September 1.