How Philadelphia Phillies Can Survive Without Trea Turner

The Philadelphia Phillies will have to find a way to live without one of their best offensive players for more than a month.

Apr 26, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Within the dry text of a press release, the Philadelphia Phillies placed shortstop Trea Turner on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain on Saturday.

An hour later, Turner told reporters that they shouldn’t expect to see him for a while.

Turner’s hamstring injury is so significant that the veteran shortstop said any return before six weeks “would be a win.”

That puts him returning sometime in June.

Before the injury the 30-year-old put his awful start last season, his first with the Phillies, in the rear view. In 33 games he slashed .343/.392/.460/.852 with 10 doubles, two home runs and nine RBI. He also had 10 stolen bases.

So, now what?

On Saturday the Phillies started Edmundo Sosa. He batted .286 in his first nine games of 2024, with one home run and two RBI. He doesn’t boast Turner’s power nor his base stealing acumen. But he’s played one-third of his Major League games at shortstop. He also has a .967 fielding percentage at short.

So that’s a start. Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters on Saturday, Sosa would play shortstop.

But there could be another option.

Whit Merrifield has played a wealth of positions in his nine-year career. But he’s never played a game at shortstop, per baseball-reference.com. But, the Phillies could get creative and slide Bryson Stott to shortstop and start Merrifield at second base, where he has 722 career games.

The Phillies can do that because Scott was the Phillies’ shortstop in 2022 before the Phillies moved him to second base after signing Turner.

Merrifield has a lifetime .982 fielding percentage at second while Turner has a .975 fielding percentage at shortstop.  

The Phillies called up Kody Clemens from Triple-A to take Turner’s spot. In 107 MLB games he has logged time at first base, second base, third base and the outfield. But he has just one career game at short in the Majors and 16 in college and the minors.