The Philadelphia Phillies have recently been experiencing some injury woes with their starting players despite all their winning. However, this past week has brought positive news regarding the injures. Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper, who were all out with various injuries, are now healthy and back in the starting lineup. Now fans are patiently waiting for shortstop Trea Turner's return.
Turner has been sidelined since May 3. In a close game against the Giants, he took advantage of a passed ball, showed off his speed, and scored from second base. While Turner's speed is a big part of his game, this time he was punished for being so fast. At some point during the electric play, Turner tweaked his hamstring. He was taken out of the game with what the Phillies called "left hamstring soreness."
Hamstrings are no joke, so this was and is a big deal. Turner was placed on the 10-day IL but told reporters he expects to be out for at least six weeks. In his place, Edmundo Sosa has been starting at shortstop, and Kody Clemens was brought back from Triple-A to fill the bench spot.
The good news is, less than two weeks after his injury, Turner was active during warmups before the Mets series at Citizens Bank Park. He was running around, taking ground balls, and hitting in the batting cages.
Trea Turner out on the field running sprints. Still sidelined with a hamstring injury. Was slated to miss around 6 weeks. @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/8Ld0IemBdP
— Pat Gallen (@PatGallenCBS3) May 15, 2024
According to manager Rob Thomson, there's still no timetable for Turner's return, but this is a hopeful sign for the Phillies. It's great to see Turner continuing to engage with the team and work with them as usual while on the IL.
The other good thing is, no matter how much we want Turner back on the field, he need not rush back with how well his replacement and the team are doing in his absence. Sosa has been very effective since taking over at shortstop, helping make the hole left by Turner a lot smaller. Sosa is taking advantage of the opportunity, averaging .313 with 10 hits, four extra-base hits, six RBI, and two stolen bases since May 3. Defensively, he only has one error and a fielding percentage of .979.
With Sosa playing like an everyday starter, it's giving Turner a lot of stress-free time to heal completely. Hamstring injuries are very fragile, tedious and easy to reinjure, and while we miss our shortstop, we know the Phillies will need him at 100 percent when it matters most later in the season.