Phillies shortstop Trea Turner left Sunday’s game in Miami due to a right hamstring strain, according to the team. He’s going to be evaluated further in the coming day or so before there’s any word as to the severity and how much, if any, time Turner will miss.
“There’s some concern there,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said after the game. “Obviously he’s having a great year. He’s a big part of this ballclub. I want to keep people healthy, especially coming down the stretch here. We’ll know more tomorrow.”
Turner said after the game that he felt “grabbing” and will undergo an MRI Monday.
Turner, who homered Sunday before his exit, is hitting .305/.356/.458 with 31 doubles, seven triples, 15 homers, 69 RBI, 94 runs and 36 stolen bases. He’s the Phillies’ leadoff man and relies quite a bit on his legs as a big base-stealing threat and a good defensive shortstop. This is to say that the hamstring issue could be a particularly big deal here.
Turner was out last season from May 4 until June 17 due to a left hamstring injury, though we can’t rely on that timetable as predictive, given that the severity of this injury could be different.
Edmundo Sosa would take over as the everyday shortstop as long as Turner is out.
The Phillies entered Sunday with a seven-game lead in the NL East, so the division title is very likely not going to be impacted by Turner’s injury. They currently hold the No. 2 seed and a bye past the Wild Card Series, though they sit 4 ½ games behind the Brewers in the National League. The Phillies have their eyes on a World Series title and having a compromised Turner at any point in the playoffs is a big blow for their chances at hoisting the trophy.
That all means this is a situation worth monitoring.
