Trea Turner said on May 3, the day he pulled his hamstring, that he expected to be sidelined for six weeks, which is exactly how long he was sidelined. He returned to the Phillies’ active roster on Monday to start a six-game homestand.
Turner will return directly to the Phillies lineup at shortstop, resuming his role as the No. 2 hitter behind Kyle Schwarber.
Edmundo Sosa played extremely well offensively and defensively during Turner’s absence, hitting .282/.342/.509 with five doubles, four triples, four homers, 17 RBI and 22 runs scored in 33 games. The Phillies went 22-11.
With Turner’s return, Sosa returns to his role as super sideman. He will also get work in the outfield during pregame sessions to give the Phillies another right-handed batting option in left field or center field.
The Phils faced the difficult decision to make room for Turner on the active roster. The victim was Johan Rojas, who was selected for Triple A. Other choices could have been to designate Cristian Bache or David Dahl for the job, choices that would likely see either player snagged by another club.
Rojas will play every day in Triple A and take a ton of hits as the Phillies look for him to find more offensive firepower. In 58 games this season, he hit .235/.271/.295. In 59 games last summer, he hit .302/.342/.430. He struggled mightily in the playoffs and the Phillies didn’t expect him to produce that level of offensive production, but they need a little more than what he provided over 196 games.
Without Rojas, it appears the Phillies will form a Brandon Marsh and Bache platoon in center field with Whit Merrifield and Dahl in left.
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