LONDON — Nothing is set in stone, but Trea Turner is trending toward a return from the injured list during the latter half of the Phillies’ road trip.
“I told them I would love to be ready tomorrow,” Turner said Sunday.
The Phillies are idle Monday, but well, you get the gist. Five weeks after straining his left hamstring, Turner is nearing a return. Before the finale of the London Series, the star shortstop fielded grounders and took batting practice.
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Neither the team nor Turner would proclaim that he’ll be ready to play this week in Boston or Baltimore. But manager Rob Thomson did say Turner is running at about 75% to 80% intensity, and Turner noted he’s confident that his hamstring has mostly healed.
“At this point, the injury is not gone, but we’re past that,” Turner said. “It’s getting my brain and body to kind of fire on all cylinders.”
When Turner strained his hamstring while scoring from second base on May 3, he said he was told by the Phillies’ medical staff that he would miss six weeks. But his recovery progressed more quickly than expected until he felt tightness after running May 25 in Colorado.
Two weeks later, Turner guessed that he’s running at the same intensity as before the setback, “but a little better” because he hasn’t experienced soreness or tightness.
“In Denver, I was really tight. I could still feel my injury where I injured it,” Turner said. “Now it’s not that. I’m at the same threshold, but the feelings are different, which is a good thing. I feel more comfortable doing stuff than I did then. I felt like I was kind of pushing certain things, and that’s probably why I had that little setback. I feel like I’m at the same spot but in a better way.”
The last step, according to Turner, is being able to play without worrying about a recurrence of the injury, especially when he has to sprint home on a wild pitch or stretch for a ground ball.
“I don’t really care how fast I am, per se,” he said. “It’s more: Can I go run over there and not think about anything? That’s why we’re taking it a little slow. I could play in games at maybe a decreased intensity right now, but I want to make sure that I’m over that hurdle.”
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Besides, the Phillies are 23-8 since Turner went on the injured list. And as one of the fastest players in baseball, he relies on his legs. So, as much as Turner is pushing to get back in the lineup, he understands the need for patience.
Turner did explain why he believes he can come back without a minor-league assignment. In 2017 and 2019, he did tune-ups in the minors while recovering from injuries and didn’t find them helpful in regaining his timing at the plate.
“There are so many drills that I’ve learned with the Nats, Dodgers, and here of how to simulate things,” Turner said. “I’m not saying I’m going to be locked in the second I get back, but I feel good.
“It’s kind of pushing those boundaries and trying to not have a setback. I would love to give you a day, but I don’t truly know. The sooner the better in my eyes.”
Edmundo in the outfield
When Turner does return, fill-in shortstop Edmundo Sosa will return to the bench.
Or maybe to the outfield?
Sosa got some exposure to center field in spring training last year but played only two innings in one game. If he gets time in the outfield, it would most likely come in left field — and only if he continues to hit. Entering play Sunday, he was 25-for-85 (.294) with 11 extra-base hits and an .896 OPS in Turner’s absence.
“I’m going to work [in the outfield], if needed, and as with everything else I do, I’m going to give the best version of myself,” Sosa said through a team interpreter. “We all know Trea Turner is a superstar. We know he’s one of the cornerstones of our team. I’m willing to do whatever the manager wants me to do.”
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Double play duo
To promote the London Series, Bryce Harper filmed a sketch with Chase Utley and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-creator Rob McElhenney, in which the latter was asked to choose between the current and former Phillies stars for a ceremonial first pitch.
The answer: a compromise.
Instead of throwing a conventional first pitch, McElhenney started a “ceremonial double play” by flipping the ball to Utley, who made the pivot throw from second base to Harper.
Extra bases
Second baseman Bryson Stott wasn’t in the lineup against Mets lefty Jose Quintana because Thomson wanted to give a rare start to Weston Wilson. … In a contrast of NL East rivals, Mets owner Steve Cohen held a state-of-the-team pregame news conference focused on whether New York will sell at the trade deadline, while Phillies owner John Middleton mingled with fans along the left-field line, handing out baseballs, posing for pictures, and signing autographs. … Every player on both teams’ rosters in London received a $70,000 bonus from MLB. … After a day off, Zack Wheeler (7-3, 2.33 ERA) will start Tuesday night at Fenway Park. Former Phillies righty Nick Pivetta (3-4, 3.40) is scheduled to start for the Red Sox.
