Trea Turner’s Phillies tenure is more on-again-off-again than Ross and Rachel’s relationship in Friends. Or, you could compare it to Jerry and George’s astute analysis of a “two face” woman that the former was seeing in a Season 9 episode of Seinfeld. Jerry’s date was “attractive one day, not attractive the next,” per George.
“Ugly” would be the right word to describe Turner’s first campaign in Philadelphia, which began with strikeouts galore and required a late-summer standing ovation outcry from the fans in desperate need of a cure. The next two seasons, though, were much more like it for the shortstop, who made his third All-Star team in 2024 and topped all National League hitters in batting average (.304) in 2025 for the second time in his career.
Turner's start to the 2026 season has been the worst of his career. Entering Friday's off day, he was carrying career lows in batting average (.223), on-base percentage (.276) and slugging percentage (.334). Even his Wins Above Replacement, also known as WAR, showed no fight, sitting at 0.0, according to Baseball Reference.
Turner joins Bryson Stott, J.T. Realmuto and Adolis Garcia (up until a week or two before his injury) as a few of the Phillies’ biggest veterans who have yet to overcome their offensive inefficiencies all year. Since his scuffles forced his benching in early May, Alec Bohm has hit eight homers while totaling an OPS around .870, showing that it is indeed possible for a struggling infielder to regain some control.
But why hasn’t Turner, a former Silver Slugger, produced in his fourth year in Philly?
Turner's helplessness with Phillies could stem from one clear problem
Instagram account Elite Baseball Solutions is dedicated to dissecting the batting stances of select MLB hitters during successful seasons and examining how those approaches differ in down years.
Last week, the account spotlighted Turner, revisiting footage of his stance from 2021, when he played for the Dodgers. During that season, which included a midyear trade from the Washington Nationals to Los Angeles, Turner set career highs in hits and batting average while posting an OPS north of .900.
Elite Baseball Solutions argues that Turner’s “neutral pickup” of his leg before a pitch was delivered provided him with a greater competitive edge than the “internally rotated” version of the pickup he’s been using this season.
This leaves Turner at a disadvantage because it causes his pelvis to “hike up” and “get stuck back with the torso as he lands.”
“In ‘21, he was able to push into the ground to create vertical force compared to now where he’s landing much more extended with the front leg and limiting his ability to leverage the ground to create power and speed,” Elite Baseball Solutions explained.
Whether or not a tweak to this issue will be the solution remains to be seen. But it’s clear as day that whatever Turner’s hitting philosophy is this season is not working, forcing the shortstop to track down another turnaround in the red and white pinstripes. Because if he can't do that, the next 7.5 years of his contract will feel like an eternity for Philadelphia.
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