Trea Turner Suffers Injury Stealing Home
The Philadelphia Phillies have placed shortstop Trea Turner on the 10-day injured list (IL) with a left hamstring injury.
He expects to miss at least six weeks, which means a hopeful return soon after the trip to London from June 8-9. Kody Clemens will take his place on the 26-man roster.
Trea Turner To The IL
The $300 million shortstop stood at second base in the fourth inning of Friday night’s victory when Bryce Harper took ball four. Turner darted toward third after the ball got away from San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey.
Turner took advantage of a slow reaction from the Giants and stole home on the pass ball. Despite the exhilaration from one of the fastest runners in the majors, Turner injured himself making the quick turn around third.
The Phillies took a 4-2 lead on the aggressive play by Turner. They hung on to win 4-3.
“It was a great play, heads up. He noticed the pitcher wasn’t covering or was going to be late covering. It won us the ballgame.” -Rob Thomson
Replacing Turner
Edmundo Sosa replaced Turner at shortstop on Friday. Rob Thomson said after the game that he expects Sosa to fill in as the short-term replacement. The utility man made a throwing error in the sixth inning. He recovered to start a solid 6-3 double play in the seventh.
Bryson Stott played 83 games at shortstop during the 2022 season. He hasn’t fielded grounders at short regularly since his permanent move to second base to begin the 2023 season.
Thomson plans to speak to Infield Coach Bobby Dickerson and President Dave Dombrowski about the possibility of Stott sliding back to shortstop.
The Phillies hoped that a long-term fix position switch wasn’t necessary. A short stint on the IL for Turner would’ve eliminated a reason to make a decision on Stott. However, the expected length of the injury might force the organization’s hand.
If Stott plays shortstop, it would mean additional starts for Whit Merrifield at second base.
Kody Clemens joined the Phillies for three games on their recent road trip while Bryce Harper was on the paternity list. The versatile infielder went 2-4 with a home run in his only start.
Stunting A Hot Streak
Trea Turner had caught fire before his untimely trip to the IL. His .343 batting average and .852 OPS align much better with the player the Phillies thought they signed before his inconsistent 2023 season.
He ranks second on the Phillies in both categories behind the red hot Alec Bohm. Turner has also stolen 10 bases in 11 tries in 2024.
Jayson Stark spoke on The Best Show Ever about Turner’s early season performance.