Aug 3, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner runs to first base against the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Park. (Grace Del Pizzo/On Pattison)
It wasn't particularly surprising to arrive in the Phillies' clubhouse Monday afternoon and see that Otto Kemp had a locker. It was shocking that a few lockers down from him, Donovan Walton had a makeshift nameplate with the No. 18.
Trea Turner is, as expected, going on the injured list. So too is Alec Bohm (left shoulder), leaving Rob Thomson in the unenviable position of having to navigate for a period without his staring shortstop and third baseman.
To be fair, the Phillies got a relatively positive development with the MRI on Turner's right hamstring, according to Thomson.
"It's a Grade 1," Thomson said of Turner's hamstring strain. "We expect him to be back by playoff time. So actually, it was better than what we expected."
A year ago when Turner missed six weeks with a left hamstring strain, it was a Grade 2, per Thomson. In this case, Thomson didn't rule out Turner returning sooner than the playoffs.
Turner removed himself from Sunday's loss to the Miami Marlins after legging out a grounder in the seventh inning:
Trea Turner left the game with a right hamstring strain. Yikes.
(Via @acote_88)
pic.twitter.com/a24gF8sRik
Thomson did acknowledge Monday that he gave Turner Saturday's game off because "he just felt a little banged up." Thomson added that there was "nothing specific" that was ailing Turner Saturday, but he just wanted to give him the day off "from the turf" in Miami. Turner was lifted for Edmundo Sosa in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday in Miami, but Thomson said that was only because the Phillies were up 9-1.
It's been a remarkable season for Turner, who is currently leading the National League in both batting average (.305) and hits (179). Turner has also stolen 36 bases this season.
His fielding has also seen a major turnaround, as he's gone from posting minus-14 defensive runs saved and minus-three outs above average a year ago to two DRS and 16 OAA this year.
In total, FanGraphs says that Turner's 6.6 WAR is fourth among all position players, trailing only Aaron Judge (7.9), Cal Raleigh (7.5) and Bobby Witt Jr. (6.9). That's just not the type of player you can replace.
Rob Thomson on Trea Turner: “Actually, it was better than what we expected.”
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/JOJY7s0Hvy
As for Bohm, Thomson revealed the third baseman's shoulder has bothered him for some time now.
"He's been grinding with this left shoulder for a while now," Thomson said. "[He's been] fighting through it, it's probably been a week, 10 days. And he could feel it every once in a while on a swing, and yesterday he felt it on every swing. So we decided to shut this thing down. We expect him to be back in 10 days."
There wasn't one particular moment that Bohm injured his shoulder, just wear and tear from a baseball season. Bohm already missed nearly a month earlier this season with a left rib fracture. He's hitting .243 with just one home run in 19 games since returning from that injury.
What the Phillies will do in the first night of Turner's absence is plug in Sosa at shortstop as they open up a four-game set with the New York Mets. Sosa's best defensive position is shortstop, and he's hit .323 with an .886 OPS in 108 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this year. However, Sosa has struggled against right-handed pitching, with a .231 batting average and .605 OPS to show for 126 plate appearances.
Interestingly, Thomson says the Phillies also see Bryson Stott as a potential option at shortstop.
"I mean, we have to," Thomson acknowledged. "I don't think Sosa is going to be able to play every day in a row, so we're gonna have to give him some time off just to keep him healthy. And we're gonna have to give Stott time off to keep him healthy as well."
Stott's natural position is shortstop, but since Turner joined the Phillies in 2023, Stott has played just 69 1/3 innings there. While Stott has been a Gold Glove-caliber defender since moving to second base, he had minus-five defensive runs saved and minus-three outs above average over 658 1/3 innings at shortstop during his rookie year of 2022. Whatever position he came up playing, second base is the one he's best at. But the options for the Phillies are thin right now.
At the very least, Stott has turned things around at the plate, as he's hitting .288 with an .856 OPS since the All-Star Break, as opposed to batting .234 with a .637 OPS prior to it. With Sosa now needed elsewhere, it does stand to reason that Stott will get more at-bats against lefties for the time being.
Thomson noted that Weston Wilson can play shortstop, as could Walton, who comes up after hitting .339 with 27 RBIs in 50 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Walton — a right-handed hitting 31-year-old — does have 166 career innings at shortstop at the MLB level.
For the record, No. 2 prospect Aidan Miller — who was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley Sunday — was not a consideration to get a call up to the Phillies in this case.
Kemp will get the start at third base Monday against the Mets after being recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. But while third base is considered his natural position, Kemp has minus-six defensive runs saved and minus-seven outs above average in just 165 innings for the Phillies at the hot corner this year. With Sosa likely to get the largest share of the work at shortstop, the Phillies need Kemp and/or Wilson to hold it down at third base until Bohm returns.
As for Turner, the Phillies are on track to win the NL East and get the No. 2 seed in the NL playoff bracket, which would come with a first-round bye. If that holds, Game 1 of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park will be on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Phillies would love for Turner to be their leadoff hitter that day.
