6 DH options for the Philadelphia Phillies if the Universal DH returns in 2022
3. Rhys Hoskins, Phillies 1B
Rhys Hoskins is a fine first baseman, but he’s also a good candidate to move to DH.
The homegrown player has proven himself to be a solid hitter, with a lifetime .241/.360/.502 line and .862 OPS over 511 career games with the Phillies. He’s coming off a truncated season in which he hit 27 homers in just 107 games. In late August, after playing through pain, Hoskins finally elected to have surgery.
At the time, he said that the only baseball activity that did not exacerbate his pain was hitting. Similarly, when Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018, he returned as a DH in early May 2019. While he did not pitch until July 2020, he was able to continue hitting in the meantime.
However, Hoskins also said that he finds being the DH to be more difficult than being a defensive player, because “you’re more in the rhythm of the game” when you play a position.