Bryson Stott
Another player who will need to boost his game during Turner’s absence is second baseman Bryson Stott. If the Phillies don’t want to take the risk of having Sosa play as the everyday shortstop, Casella suggests that Stott can easily shift over from second base and make some starts at short as a stop-gap solution. After all, he did see 83 games of action in the position back in his rookie season in 2022 with the Phillies.
However, after being named by The Athletic as one of the top breakout players of 2023, when he hit .280 with a .748 OPS, 78 runs scored, 32 doubles, 15 home runs, 62 RBI and 31 stolen bases, Stott has struggled a bit coming out of the gate to start 2024. Nevertheless, he has come on as of late, lifting his batting average to .242, along with an OPS of .720, 16 runs scored, three home runs, 17 RBI and seven stolen bases in 31 games played.
The Phillies will need Stott to help make up for some of the steady offensive production that Turner provided. He should now be able to get that distinct honor in doing so as he will likely move up a notch in the batting order in the coming weeks and have more opportunities to drive in runs as a result. If Saturday’s two-hit, two-RBI performance is any indication of how he will play without Turner in the lineup, then the Phillies certainly should be all right going forward.