A lot of trouble presented itself for the Philadelphia Phillies in their spiral toward a crushing loss to the New York Mets in last year's NLDS. The stars struggled at times and failed to carry them through October when they were needed most.
One rising star that the Phillies had hopes for was second baseman Bryson Stott. Stott was on an All-Star trajectory in 2023 and looked to build off that success in 2024. He started out the year looking like himself. He was driving the ball and flashing his Gold Glove-caliber defense all over the diamond, but something changed along the way.
By the time the season had concluded, Stott finished with a .245 batting average, a far cry from the .280 average he finished with in 2023. As it turned out, Stott was dealing with an elbow injury for much of the season. The injury could be a valid explanation for Stott's struggles down the stretch and why he couldn't replicate the success he had in 2023.
Phillies' Bryson Stott provides update on injured elbow that derailed his 2024
After initial reports stated that Stott had injured his elbow, questions came up of how this was impacting Stott and his ability to play. Stott shed some light on the situation, per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"Looking back, I wasn't healthy," Stott said, per Seidman. "I was good enough to play and I'm not going to make excuses for that, I want to play. You never want to sit on the bench or anything. Just kind of sat back and let my arm heal up and be ready to go this year."
Stott injured a nerve in his right elbow during a swing late last May in Miami. Stott's injury then hindered him whenever he hyperextended his elbow on a swing and miss, leaving numbness in his fingers. The feeling would come and go, but the internal battle wore on as the season went on.
Stott tried his best to change his approach, but his batting average still dropped 35 points from the time of the injury all through the end of the regular season. The good thing is, Stott feels like his old self again, and Phillies manager Rob Thomson is looking forward to a bounce-back season from his second baseman.
"I think whenever you have that type of injury, as you're approaching the baseball and thinking about your finish, I think it just changes your swing a little bit and you guard against swing-and-miss," Thomson said, per Seidman. "You decelerate and a lot of things happen. I think now that he's healthy, he'll get back to the same swing and get back to the same pitch selection and he'll be a much better hitter."
Stott will be a big x-factor for the team this coming season. If he can stay healthy and go back to what makes him a special player, he could break through as an All-Star, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. He may not get the leadoff role with shortstop Trea Turner looking to possibly slot in, but don't be surprised if Stott finds himself in more favorable roles in 2025 as he looks to be even better this coming season.