Trea Turner Gets Honest on Phillies First Baseman Change

The Philadelphia Phillies made a major change defensively, which elicited an interesting take from Trea Turner.

Jul 21, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Trea Turner (7) throws to first against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the Philadelphia Phillies acquired second baseman Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants, it set off a chain reaction of moves that needed to be made.

Intent on sticking at the keystone to accommodate their newest player, interim manager Don Mattingly made adjustments. Arraez was inserted at second base, with Bryson Stott moving over to third base.

That prompted Alec Bohm to flip to the other side of the diamond to first base, with Bryce Harper moving to right field. Moving out to the grass is something Harper has expressed a willingness to do in the past, but it is risky asking him to play the outfield with regularity, especially with knee soreness already popping up.

However, the infield defense could actually improve with Bohm at first base over Harper. Shortstop Trea Turner gave some interesting insight into the change, mentioning that a bigger target helps take off some pressure.

Trea Turner offers interesting take on Phillies first basemen change

Aug 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) plays against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“(Bryce) picked the ball great for us this year, and he did a good job,” Turner said, via Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic (subscription required). “But sometimes a bigger target just makes you feel a little better. And then it feels like you make better throws just because you know you have so much room for error. Where there’s not like, ‘I have to throw this one perfect,’ or, ‘I have to do this.’ So, yeah. It can definitely help sometimes. Especially on high throws, too, where you’re like, ‘Oh, I kind of let that one go up a little bit.’ He can kind of stay on the base and stay on those.”

Everything that Turner said is valid when taking a look at Statcast’s new statistic breaking down which first basemen are the best at receiving the ball in the MLB. Harper was great when it came to scoops and bounces, being above average in both areas.

However, when a ball was thrown high or wide, he struggled to produce. Listed at 6-foot-1, low throws were something Harper could handle effectively, but the higher the ball moved, the worse his production became.

That isn’t as much of a detriment with Bohm playing first base. Listed at 6-foot-4, he provides a much bigger target and radius for infielders throwing him the ball. While his sample size isn’t anywhere near as big as Harper’s, the results thus far have been much more positive.

Phillies infield defense can improve with Bryce Harper moving

Aug 13, 2026; Dyersville, Iowa, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) chases a fly ball into the corner against the Minnesota Twins at the Field of Dreams. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Harper’s performance defensively has regressed in 2026 compared to the last few years. His -8 Outs Above Average for receiving the ball is the worst individual season on record based on all the data that is available.

While there were concerns about the Phillies’ defense with the shakeup, things could actually get better in some regard. Stott is handling the hot corner, performing at a much higher level than Bohm was.

Bohm is an upgrade over Harper at the other infield corner, and Arraez is handling himself well at second base still. Turner has had his struggles at shortstop, but maybe his performance will turn a corner now that he has a target he is more comfortable throwing to at first.

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