Key Phillies Slugger Shows Signs of Breaking Out of Slump

Which slugger from the Philadelphia Phillies showed some signs of snapping out of an extended slump?

Feb 26, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. (85) hat sits in the dugout against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

It has been a terrible start to the season for the Philadelphia Phillies, and those struggles resulted in some major changes. 

The Phillies made the decision to fire Rob Thomson just before the start of their series against the San Francisco Giants. With a (9-19) start to the campaign, it wasn’t too surprising to see the team move on from their manager, and they are undoubtedly hoping it will provide a spark. 

Even though all the blame can’t be placed on Thomson, it was ultimately he who lost his job. However, while their manager has been replaced, it will now be up to the team to start performing better. 

In their first game with Don Mattingly as the manager, the team was able to pull off a 7-0 win in what was one of their best games of the year. Jesus Luzardo helped set the tone for the team with one of his best starts of an inconsistent season. The left-hander went seven shutout innings, while striking out eight batters. 

It was great to see Luzardo have a strong outing, but it wasn’t just him who got going. With the lineup scoring seven runs, they also had some great success. One of the players who really showed up was Trea Turner. The star shortstop has got off to a terrible start to the season, but he had one of his best games of the year. 

Turner Shows Signs of Breakout 

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

In the win over the Giants, Turner had one of his best games in a long time. For the first time since April 3rd, he was able to have a multi-hit game. Overall, he went 4-for-5 at the plate with one RBI and two runs scored. 

It has undoubtedly not been a good start to the season for Turner, who is currently slashing .254/.323/.373 with three home runs, 10 RBI, and three stolen bases. The numbers are way down for the 32-year-old, but a strong game on Tuesday helped improve his overall numbers. 

As the leadoff hitter and one of the right-handed hitters in the lineup, it is critical for Turner to continue to play better and help set the tone for the unit. Getting on base in front of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper will lead to runs for the team. 

Turner certainly seemed to be a player in the win that realized the time for the team to get going was now, after the firing of Thomson. Hopefully, he can continue to play as he did in the win on Tuesday.