Rhys Hoskins injury: Top 3 replacements for injured Phillies star
How the Phillies can replace injured first baseman Rhys Hoskins on their Opening Day roster.
The Philadelphia Phillies season is just a week away, but it seems the club will be without their best left-handed and right-handed-hitting power hitters for a considerable amount of time.
Bryce Harper underwent offseason Tommy John surgery and will be sidelined through at least the end of May. Unfortunately, another significant contributor during the team's magical 2022 postseason run will now be similarly absent in the early months of the upcoming season.
During Thursday's spring training game against the Detroit Tigers, first baseman Rhys Hoskins was carted off the field after suffering a significant, non-contact injury to his left knee while fielding a grounder.
Non contact is never good. Feel terrible for @rhyshoskins
— Kevin Negandhi (@KevinNegandhi) March 23, 2023
pic.twitter.com/qpY38bSTV5
The Phillies announced that the 30-year-old will undergo further evaluation and testing, and will provide an update when appropriate. After the game, manager Rob Thomson told reporters that Hoskins was walking around, which seemed like a "good sign.” Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario occurred: Hoskins tore his ACL, requires surgery, and is expected to miss the entire 2023 season.
With Rafael Marchán (hand), Nick Nelson (hamstring), Andrew Painter (elbow), Cristopher Sánchez (triceps), Garrett Stubbs (knee), and Ranger Suárez (elbow) also going through injury woes, things are surely concerning for the reigning National League champions.
Here are the best three options Thomson should consider to replace Hoskins.
Option 1. Phillies replace Rhys Hoskins by rotating between Darick Hall and Alec Bohm.
The most likely instinct answer for Phillies fans regarding who could fill in for Hoskins is Darick Hall. This is because of the 27-year-old's power, which has been evident for almost all of his minor-league career —going yard 126 times in 660 games.
This rate improved in Hall's 2022 rookie season, homering nine times in 41 games. With opportunities for even more at-bats with Hoskins sidelined, Hall could really hit his stride and produce eye-catching numbers.
A cause for concern, however, is that all nine of Hall's home runs last season were against right-handed pitching. Albeit a small sample size, Hall collected just a single in 12 at-bats opposite southpaws.
That is why the Phillies could opt to platoon between Hall and another infielder when the team faces a left-handed starting pitcher. Alec Bohm is an option to move across the diamond to make this work, which would create playing time for Edmundo Sosa at the hot corner.
The Phillies may not want to mess with Bohm at this stage of his career and bounce him between third base and first base. However, if they feel a permanent position move to first base is the appropriate long-term solution for the former third-overall pick — especially given Hoskins could leave through free agency after this season — perhaps Dave Dombrowski will want to speed up that timeline.
Bohm did not commit a single error in his handful of games at first base last season. Having Sosa in the infield, meanwhile, would add a reliable glove with speed to complement the already-fast Trea Turner.
Option 2. Phillies replace Rhys Hoskins by exploring an outside trade.
Another option for the Phillies' front office to replace Hoskins is exploring a trade for an outside player. Regardless, none would come close to the contributions that Hoskins would have provided early on in the season.
Pat Egan tweeted a list of five first basemen the Phillies can look to acquire — Jesús Aguilar from the Oakland A’s, Ji-Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Garrett Cooper from the Miami Marlins, C.J. Cron from the Colorado Rockies, and Eric Hosmer from the Chicago Cubs.
A reunion with Darin Ruf may also be in the cards, even with him struggling with the New York Mets so far this spring.
Former Ute CJ Cron with the second longest tracked MLB HR ever(504ft) pic.twitter.com/6GonzScpg0
— Porter Larsen (@Larsen_ESPN) September 10, 2022
Of these options, Cron seems the most appealing. The 33-year-old was named an All-Star for the first time last season. He ended up slugging 29 home runs and 102 RBI. The cost would be significant to land Cron — if he is even available on the trade market — but the Phillies will have to weigh the pros and cons of parting ways with one of their top prospects to stay strong in the standings while Hoskins is out for the season.
On the other hand, it would not take much to re-acquire Ruf from the Mets. The slugger returned from playing overseas and showed promising signs with Gabe Kapler's San Francisco Giants. However, Ruf went homerless in 28 games and 74 plate appearances to finish the 2022 season with the Mets.
It is rare for teams to make trades at this late stage of spring training, so do not hold your breath on Cron or another notable first baseman coming to Philadelphia — at least for now.
Option 3. Phillies replace Rhys Hoskins by considering under-the-radar names already on their roster.
If the Phillies would rather not mess with Alec Bohm and bounce him between playing time at third base and first base, the club could consider some other internal options.
A name that sticks out is the 26-year-old Kody Clemens — the son of 11-time All-Star and seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens.
The Phillies acquired Clemens earlier this offseason as part of the trade that sent Matt Vierling and Nick Maton to the Detroit Tigers.
Kody Clemens rocket home run pic.twitter.com/3sXo3nrrlr
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 2, 2023
While primarily used at third base in his rookie season, Clemens also logged 73 innings at first base, committing zero errors spanning 58 chances while recording 53 putouts. This spring, Clemens is slashing .333/.409/.641 with three doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI spanning 17 games and 39 at-bats.
These favorable numbers only help Clemens' chances to make the team and become a temporary mainstay in the lineup while Hoskins is out.
The Phillies have other internal options to consider, albeit they are non-roster invitees. A name that comes to mind is Scott Kingery, who has been known for his versatility but ironically has yet to play first base in the majors.
Kingery is in the final year of his six-season, $24 million contract signed in March 2018. Slashing .357/.413/.476 this spring, Kingery is giving it all he has this spring to show he deserves a final chance in Major League Baseball. If the Phillies exhaust all other options to replace Hoskins, just perhaps Kingery is their ultimate solution.