The Philadelphia Phillies were more than happy to welcome shortstop Trea Turner back to the lineup on June 17 after six weeks on the injured list. Despite his bat picking up where it left off before he strained his hamstring scoring from second on a wild play against the San Francisco Giants on May 3, Turner's legs weren’t all there for the first couple of weeks.
After a 2-for-4 game with a pair of home runs and four RBI on Friday against the NL East rival Atlanta Braves, Turner is now hitting .341 with five home runs, 13 RBI and 16 runs scored in 16 games since returning from the IL.
However, the freshly-turned 31-year-old didn’t seem ready to push the envelope and run at full speed, or at least that’s what it looked like. He looked tentative on the bases and didn't show the blazing speed Phillies fans were used to seeing.
Phillies speedster Trea Turner officially all the way back to full speed
This week, it finally looks like Turner, who was just voted to his third All-Star Game as the National League’s starting shortstop, is back to full speed — and he looks even faster than before.
The first sign came on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. With the game hanging in the balance, the Phillies trailing the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in the sixth, Turner turned on the jets to beat out an infield single. If you watch the clip, he looks like the Turner we're used to seeing bust down the line. The play was imperative in setting up Alec Bohm's go-ahead two-run home run.
What's more impressive is the metrics. He was clocked flying down the line at 31.1 ft/s, the fastest he has run since coming off the IL, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. That speed is elite. Like, elite elite.
Then, in the series finale loss on Thursday, Turner got aboard in the first inning, before everything all fell apart for the Phillies, and swiped second base in classic Trea Sheisty fashion. It marked his first steal since returning from the IL. He made sure to show off his wheels again on the next play, scoring from second on a Brandon Marsh single. And, of course, he gave us a patented smooth slide into home.
The slide never gets old pic.twitter.com/bauRPdSQXo
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 4, 2024
As simple as those plays were, they serve as a good reminder of the value Turner brings once he gets out of the batter’s box, at least when he’s fully healthy. On the season, he's now hitting .341 with an .896 OPS, seven home runs, 22 RBI, 43 runs and 11 stolen bases.
From all appearances, it looks like Turner is healthy and is back to full speed.