The Phillies placed Odubel Herrera on the injured list and activated Roman Quinn. Can Quinn finally establish himself this time around?
The Phillies decided that Odubel Herrera‘s hamstring strain sustained Wednesday night was severe enough to warrant a stint on the 10-day injured list. The team activated Roman Quinn from the injured list after he spent the first three weeks of the season on it.
Herrera has not excelled so far this year with a .270/.319/.381 line and 81 OPS+ in 17 games so far. He did well spring training, but it did not carry over into the regular season.
Meanwhile, during seven rehab games between High-A Clearwater and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Quinn has ten hits, four walks, and two stolen bases. In total, he has played in just nine games this year between spring training and the regular season due to his injury.
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With Herrera out for at least the next week and a half, Quinn and Aaron Altherr will take over in center field. With Altherr struggling to start the year, Quinn will likely receive considerable time in the lineup. Can he finally edge his way onto the major-league roster for good?
For years now, Quinn has been an enigma. It’s easy to spot his tools, particularly his top-tier speed and hitting ability. However, he suffers at least one, if not multiple injuries every season.
These injuries kept him from establishing a role in the major leagues.
In 2016, Quinn was a September call-up and did well, but suffered an oblique injury before the year ended. In 2017, an elbow strain cut his season short before the end of May.
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Just last year, Quinn tore a ligament in his finger, leading to him missing two months of action. He got called up in July, but broke his toe in September, limiting his time. He was starting to take over center field duties from Herrera by that time, but that fell apart once the injury bug bit him yet again.
It seems like every time Quinn starts to build momentum for his future, another injury stops him in his tracks. I want to see him succeed in the majors because he possesses a skill set no one else on the Phillies has. However, his litany of injuries makes it almost impossible to bet on him as a future piece.
Quinn has no more minor-league options left, so it’s now or never for him to find a role on this team. Until he can stay healthy for an extended period (who knows if that will ever happen), it’s hard to see him finding a roster spot.