USATSI_18830809 — © Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Jean Segura Is an Added Bonus in a Strong Philadelphia Phillies Lineup

Second baseman Jean Segura's return from the injured list makes a strong Philadelphia Phillies' offense even stronger.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Aug 10, 2022 4:30 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

When Jean Segura broke his index finger on May 31, he was the second best hitter in the Philadelphia Phillies' lineup.

His OPS and wRC+ ranked third (min. 100 PA) behind Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos, but by that point, Castellanos had already been slumping for over a month. Several other members of the lineup were slumping too, including Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto, and Alec Bohm.

Segura, meanwhile, was hot. He batted .307 with a 121 wRC+ in the month of May. He was a major contributor to the offense, and things looked like they were going to be quite bleak without him.

Yet since Segura's injury, the Phillies have turned into one of the best offensive teams in the National League. They rank third in both runs scored and OPS, and they are tied for fourth in wRC+.

Schwarber and Hoskins turned it on in June. Then, Bohm and Realmuto followed suit in July. Harper was incredible until he landed on the injured list, and Darick Hall has been a pleasant surprise in his stead. Bryson Stott and Matt Vierling are starting to find their footing at the big league level, and the team added by subtraction with the releases of Odúbel Herrera and Didi Gregorius.

When Segura finally came back after more than two months, he was returning to a much stronger lineup than the one he left. No longer would he be one of the only players capable of putting the ball in play and getting timely hits.

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Jean Segura returned from the injured list on August 4.
© John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

In four games since his return from the IL, Segura has hit .385 with a 1.000 OPS. That's fantastic, but compared to how the rest of the team has fared, it barely even stands out. The Phillies have hit .325 with a 1.133 OPS since August 4. Hoskins, Realmuto, and Hall have been tearing the cover off the ball in August. Schwarber, Bohm, and Castellanos have been hitting well too.

Those numbers come in a very small sample size, and of course Philadelphia will not continue to hit quite so well for the rest of this season. The point, however, remains the same—this baseball team is in far better shape than they were two months ago.

Segura no longer needs to be a driving force of the offense. Instead, he just gets to be one more solid contributor in a lineup chock full of solid contributors.

On May 31, it looked like the Phillies were in serious trouble. They were 21-29 and seven games out of a playoff spot. Segura, one of their best players, was about to miss two months of the season. He could not return soon enough.

But as it turns out, Segura will be more of an added bonus than a much-needed reinforcement. Philadelphia played well without him, and now he has the opportunity to make a strong lineup all the more powerful. So far, he's off to a good start.