Trea’s back: Turner set for Game 162 return after hamstring strain

PHILADELPHIA - The Phillies said all along that they hoped Trea Turner would be back before the end of the regular season.

Sunday is Game 162. And Turner will play. 

Rob Thomson announced that Turner will play shortstop in the regular season finale, three weeks after suffering a hamstring strain in Milwaukee. 

Trea Turner will play shortstop in Game 162. pic.twitter.com/ryMSreRKrm

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) September 28, 2025

"Don't be shocked if he comes out early," Thomson said. "When that is, I don't know."

Thomson said the Phillies wanted him to get some at bats against Major League pitching, but also, Turner wanted the opportunity to test himself in more than just a workout session. 

"He wants to play and the trainers deem him healthy," Thomson said. 

Turner will likely finish the season as the NL batting champion. He is hitting .305 this season. He is the only batter in the league to be hitting above .300. 

Turner hit off of minor league pitchers on Tuesday and Wednesday. He ran the bases and took regular fielding and batting practice on both Friday and Saturday. 

As important as he's been to the Phillies this season - so much so that he's likely to garner some down-ballot MVP votes, the Phillies have performed well without him, going 12-6 in the 18 games he's missed. 

The Phillies will have to make a roster move to activate Turner. It's unlikely to be Garrett Stubbs, who will probably see some action on Sunday as well since the game has no meaning for the Phillies when it comes to playoff seeding. 

By losing on Saturday, they are locked in to the No. 2 seed in the NL Playoffs and will play the winner of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Cincinnati Reds/New York Mets series beginning next Saturday. 

The Phillies could option Otto Kemp or Weston Wilson, who seem to be in a three-way conversation for the final two roster spots on the playoff roster along with Johan Rojas, who could be useful as both a pinch runner and a defensive replacement. 

The other possibility - and the one that seems most likely - is the Phillies would option Max Lazar, who pitched  2 1/3 innings of relief on Saturday, meaning he would likely be unavailable anyway on Sunday.

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