4 Phillies storylines to watch in third month of 2021 season

With every month comes different challenges for the Philadelphia Phillies. With a 25-29 record at the end of the first two months of the season, many would agree that this season has been disappointing.

Things could get even worse for the team in June. Here are four storylines to follow this month.

1. Star players being injured continues to hurt the Phillies.

The Phillies missed three of their most important position players — Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Didi Gregorius — for a chunk of May. J.T. is now back in the lineup; hopefully, we can see Bryce (left forearm contusion) and Didi return soon. Harper could return from the injured list as soon as Wednesday, however manager Joe Girardi said Monday that he “wouldn’t plan” on him returning when he is first eligible.

Ranking just 20th in runs scored throughout Major League Baseball, the Phillies could use Bryce being back soon. With Didi, it seems things could take some time, as he hasn’t even started swinging yet.

Elsewhere, Roman Quinn was recently placed on the 60-day injured list and will require surgery on his left Achilles. He will miss the next nine to 12 months, meaning his Phillies tenure could be over. Fellow outfielder Travis Jankowski was called up as his replacement.

Adam Haseley returned to the team earlier in the month. He is in the minors and remains on the restricted list. At some point, it is hard to imagine he doesn’t get a chance to be back in the majors. Haseley simply is an upgrade from some of the outfielders on the roster.

Matt Moore is currently making an rehab assignment. That is good news for him to return to the big-league team soon, unless the Phillies want to keep David Hale in the long relief role.

Scott Kingery is also on the injured list. Who knows when he is back, but he should probably go back to Triple-A and fix his swing. Kingery has an OPS barely above 100 in 19 at-bats this season.