The Philadelphia Phillies may be without shortstop Trea Turner for a while, though that absence could carry a silver lining.
Turner exited Monday night’s 7–0 win over the Miami Marlins after being hit on the right wrist by a pitch from Marlins right-hander William Kempner in the bottom of the sixth inning. The injury was diagnosed as a right wrist contusion, and X-rays came back negative.
Following the game, interim manager Don Mattingly addressed Turner’s status with reporters: “It looks like he’s going to be sore, so we’ll see,” Mattingly said. “See where that goes tomorrow.” The three-time All-Star is unlikely to appear in Tuesday’s lineup, though that has yet to be confirmed, especially since Alec Bohm was also held out of Monday’s contest due to being “banged up.”
A period without Trea Turner might not be entirely detrimental for either him or the Phillies.
No one wishes for an injury, but in Turner’s case, it compels Mattingly to give his shortstop a rest—something that was already up for debate heading into Monday. The question was whether Turner would sit following a rough performance in Milwaukee against the Brewers.
Over that three-game set, Turner went 1-for-13 with six strikeouts, and across the entire six-game road trip (which also included the Toronto Blue Jays), he was 3-for-26 with 10 strikeouts. The two-time batting champion (2021 and 2025) has seen his season average drop to .216 and his OPS to .594.
Should Turner miss a few days, Edmundo Sosa is the most likely candidate to take over at shortstop. Sosa has been the Phillies’ top bench bat this season, posting a .231 average with a .647 OPS, and he has already logged nine games at shortstop.
If Turner’s absence stretches beyond a few days, Philadelphia’s infield depth will be put to the test. Christian Cairo is the only other infielder on the 40-man roster, and he has yet to make his big-league debut.
The 25-year-old has been playing well at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, batting .257 with a .730 OPS to go along with 19 stolen bases (though he has also been caught eight times).
With Bohm expected back on Tuesday, Sosa who filled in at third base for Bohm would likely slide over to shortstop if Turner is indeed held out of Mattingly’s Game 2 lineup.
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