Phillies: Rhys Hoskins, Adam Morgan undergo elbow surgery

Two Phillies players, Rhys Hoskins and Adam Morgan, recently underwent elbow surgery

Time keeps ticking forward and Major League Baseball nearly has its championship series slate determined, with the Atlanta Braves the only team from the National League East remaining in contention. The Philadelphia Phillies, meanwhile, fell short of making the postseason and have already begun preparations for the 2021 season — Joe Girardi‘s second and Bryce Harper‘s third in red pinstripes.

As part of this prep work, two notable Phillies recently had elbow surgeries — first baseman Rhys Hoskins and left-handed reliever Adam Morgan.

Hoskins recently underwent an internal brace repair, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury, repairing a non-throwing (left) elbow ligament tear. Unlike Tommy John surgery, which Hoskins did not have, the Phillies hope this procedure will yield a shorter recovery time. The current goal for Hoskins to return is four-to-six months, as opposed to the eight-plus-month recovery had he undergone Tommy John.

The southpaw pitcher Morgan, likewise, recently underwent surgery, according to his wife’s post on Instagram. On Friday, the Phillies announced that Morgan’s operation was successful to repair his left elbow flexor tendon; he is expected to miss six to nine months.

Morgan dealt with a left flexor strain in August 2019 and landed on the injured list with left shoulder fatigue in early September 2020, which opened a roster spot for then-acquired reliever David Phelps from the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hoskins, 27, slashed .245/.384/.503 through 41 games and 185 plate appearances this season, while producing nine doubles, 10 home runs and 26 RBI. Although a smaller sample size, he fared better than his disappointing 2019 season, slashing only .226/.364/.454 across 160 games and 705 plate appearances. The veteran’s last game in 2020 came on September 12; the Phillies finished the season going 5-12 without him and were just one game out of the eighth postseason spot in the National League.

Morgan, 30, appeared in 17 games this season, four of which finished a game. Across 13 innings, he posted an uncharacteristic 5.54 ERA and 1.538 WHIP, yielding 14 hits, eight runs, three home runs, and six walks, while striking out 16 of his 58 batters faced. The six-year veteran last appeared in the series opener of the team’s final series of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays, in which he surrendered two runs in the eighth inning of the eventual 6-4 loss.