Apr 5, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson (28) celebrates with third baseman Austin Riley (27) after hitting a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Braves rival loses star player to IL, could miss six weeks.
Trea Turner left Friday night’s game with an injury and it could spell trouble for the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a fantastic start to the 2024 season, staying neck and neck with their NL East rival, the Atlanta Braves. On Friday night, they defeated the San Francisco Giants to take over first place and the deciding run might have been thanks to Trea Turner, who scored from second base on a passed ball.
Unfortunately, because of that play, the Phillies star SS, who they signed to a 11-year, $300 million last year, will now miss at least the next six weeks with a strained hamstring.
What Trea Turner’s injury could mean to the Phillies
Unlike last season, where Trea Turner struggled out of the gate, the SS has been fantastic so far in the 2024 season.
In 33 games, the 30-year-old has slashed .343/.392/.460, good for a 146 wRC+. His 1.5 fWAR is the second-highest on the Phillies, behind Alec Bohm, and 18th best in all of Major League Baseball.
Without Turner anchoring short, the Phillies will likely turn to Edmundo Sosa for the bulk of the SS playing time, although the team could also shift Bryson Stott over to SS from 2B and play Whit Merrifield.
Sosa only had 23 PAs going into Saturday’s game, but he had a 137 wRC+ in limited action. Last season, in 300 PAs, Sosa had a 92 wRC+ and accumulated 1.0 fWAR.
