What Are Phillies Options If Trea Turner Doesn't Play Well At SS In Spring Training?

PHILADELPHIA -- Trea Turner wants to continue playing shortstop. The Phillies may have reservations on that.

After the Phillies didn't move Turner from shortstop when they reshuffled their infield following the Luis Arraez acquisition this season, Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski did have a conversation with Turner regarding his future at shortstop after the conclusion of the wild card round of the playoffs.

The Phillies are keeping Turner at shortstop -- for now. There's a catch.

"From a defensive perspective, we are very clear -- he knows he has to be better at shortstop," Dombrowski said to Phillies On SI. "I told him that's really mandatory that he's like that.

"If he plays shortstop like he did in 2025, he can play shortstop. If he plays it like he did in 2026, he can't. And he totally understands that."

Dombrowski and Turner discussed the different scenarios regarding Turner's future at shortstop, which will be settled in spring training in 2027. If Turner isn't playing well in spring training, the Phillies will look for someone else to play that position.

"That's how we left it with him, and he's determined to show us that he can play it," Dombrowski said. "And I said, you have to show it. You can not play shortstop like you did defensively in 2026 going into 2027."

Turner had a .963 fielding percentage last season, ranking 17th out of 19 qualifying shortstops. His 21 errors were tied more the most amongst shortstops in baseball and his -8 outs above average was tied for 16th amongst the 19 qualifiers. The -17 defensive runs saved was last in baseball amongst shortstops by nine runs.

Turner Will Have a Chance to Prove Himself

Sep 30, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) fields the ball hits a by Atlanta Braves outfielder Mauricio Dubon (not pictured) in the sixth inning during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Truist Park. Dubon was safe at first base on the play. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Phillies are giving Turner the opportunity to keep his job in spring training, but this could be a step towards moving Turner to another position. If Turner doesn't keep the job at shortstop, he would play the outfield or move to second base.

Turner prefers the infield, as he hasn't played outfield since 2016 (45 games in his career in center field). That would be the position Turner would likely end up playing, which means the Phillies would move Justin Crawford to a corner outfield spot -- or as the left-handed bat in an outfield platoon.

"You see a face that continues to work, continues to want to get better," said Phillies manager Don Mattingly. "I know he wants to play against lefties. He wants to play all the time.

"I think there's upside with Justin. Where he goes is totally dependent on us to get it out of him and to help him go there. It will be interesting to see where it goes with him."

If Turner doesn't win his job at shortstop next spring, who do the Phillies turn to at the position?

The good news? They have plenty of options.

Bryson Stott

Stott could be the the immediate choice, especially if the Phillies choose to move Turner to second base since Turner prefers playing the infield. This is all contingent on Luis Arraez returning, as he played second base last season and would likely remain there if he is re-signed.

Stott moved to third base once Arraez was acquired and adjusted well to the position. He also came up as a shortstop through the system and spent his rookie season at shortstop (2022) prior to the Phillies signing Turner.

There's a catch here too. Dombrowski mentioned Stott at second base or third base multiple times in the press conference. He also mentioned Stott could play shortstop too, but the plan seems to be to either have Stott at second or third.

If the Phillies wanted to play one of their veterans at shortstop, Stott could be the move.

Aidan Miller

Miller was name dropped several times by Dombrowski in the press conference, as the Phillies seem to have plans for him to play somewhere with the major league club in 2027. In Double-A Reading and the Arizona Fall League, Miller has played third base since returning from a back injury that kept him sidelined until September.

Miller has grown confident he can stay healthy, and hasn't discussed any lingering effects of back pain since undergoing a procedure called a radiofrequency ablation of the facet joints following discogenic pain and facet inflammation in the lumbar spine.

"I can't tell you how that's going to be or not," Dombrowski said. "But from what I have been told he's in a position where, what he's gone through, that he should be fine for a season and be ready to continue to progress."

The Phillies do view Miller as a shortstop, but also had him play third base in the spring and continued having him there this fall in Reading and in Arizona. If Miller does make the big league roster, he'll either be at shortstop or third base.

Bryan Rincon

Rincon is one of the players Dombrowski mentioned unprompted when discussing the state of the Phillies and the minor league system. Rincon had a massive year for Reading and was the Paul Owens Award winner as the best position player in the farm system.

Rincon finished the season with a .267 average, 26 HR, 67 RBI, and a .927 OPS. He tied for first in the Eastern League in home runs (26), while leading the league in OBP (.410) and OPS (.927, playing a massive role in Reading winning their first outright Double-A championship since 1995.

Fightin' Phils manager Al Pedrique said in the spring Rincon has the ability defensively to be a major league shortstop. He needed to improve hiis hitting to get on the radar, which was evident this summer.

Now. Rincon is one of the top prospects in the organization. He can play second base or third base as well, but the Phillies had him play shortstop at Reading all year. Rincon has never played a defensive position in the Phillies organization other than shortstop.

"(He's) a really good player at the Double-A level, that's an outstanding young shortstop," Dombrowski said. "He's also very close."

Rincon could make the Phillies out of spring training, but the Phillies will also like him to get at bats at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and continue to develop him. With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire, the Phillies are expected to protect Rincon on the 40-man roster so he won't be eligible for the Rule-5 draft. That deadline is November 17.

Rincon is a long shot to be the shortstop on Opening Day in 2027, but he's certainly in the plans to help out the big club moving forward.

Add us as a preferred source on Google