Before the Phillies took batting practice on Friday, Trea Turner ran around the outfield with an athletic trainer and did fielding drills on one knee with coach Bobby Dickerson.
And it was considered a “recovery day” for the injured shortstop.
When Turner strained his left hamstring two weeks ago, he estimated that returning in less than six weeks “would be a win,” based on the information he got from team doctors. Manager Rob Thomson has maintained that there’s “no timetable” yet for Turner’s return.
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Either way, Turner doesn’t look like he will be out four more weeks.
“We’re still in a build-up part of it,” Thomson said before the opener of a three-game series with the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. “It’s really just making sure that he doesn’t have a reinjury, so we’ve got to build him up properly. Those things can rear its ugly head at any moment.”
Especially for a player such as Turner. He was tied for eighth in the majors in sprint speed (29.7 feet per second) entering the weekend, and, at 31, was the oldest player in the top 10. The injury occurred when he scored from second base on a wild pitch on May 3.
Turner hasn’t been on the injured list for non-COVID reasons since 2019, when he broke his right index finger while playing for Washington. He joked that the athletic trainers will be eager for him to resume playing because he’s driving them crazy during the rehab.
But the Phillies haven’t had to slow Turner down, according to Thomson.
“Not really,” Thomson said. “The trainers are very happy with where he’s at. He’s doing stuff, he’s getting it done, and I think he’s being careful about it, too.”
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When Turner is ready to return, Thomson said he likely will play minor league games before rejoining the Phillies’ lineup.
In Turner’s absence, fill-in shortstop Edmundo Sosa was 9-for-28 with two doubles, two triples, six walks, and a 1.008 OPS in 10 games entering play Friday night. Turner batted .343/.392/.460 with two homers and 10 steals through the season’s first 33 games.
Walker improving
It remains unclear whether Taijuan Walker will make his next start, but the righty felt better one day after taking a line drive off his left foot and bruising a toe.
Walker “couldn’t even move his toe” after leaving Thursday night’s game in the fourth inning, according to Thomson. X-rays were negative.
“Now he can put weight on, move around a little bit,” Thomson said. “So, it’s a lot better.”
The Phillies are off Monday, but Thomson said he doesn’t plan to skip Walker’s spot in the rotation because he wants to give each of the starter an extra day of rest. If Walker is unable to pitch next week at home against the Rangers, Spencer Turnbull could be a candidate to make that start, likely Wednesday night.
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Turnbull had a 1.67 ERA in six fill-in starts when Walker began the season on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement. The Phillies have tried to keep his arm stretched out for an eventual return to the rotation. He threw 54 pitches in three innings in relief Wednesday night against the Mets.
Walker will throw a light bullpen session — “a little touch-and-feel,” as Thomson described it — Monday. But the Phillies hope to know before then whether he will miss a start.
In four starts, Walker is 3-0 with a 4.91 ERA. He pitched into the seventh inning twice before completing six innings last weekend in Miami.
The Phillies lack depth in triple A. Prized prospect Mick Abel carried a 5.46 ERA into his start Friday night. Kolby Allard (10.71) and Max Castillo (8.54) were removed from the Lehigh Valley rotation, while Tyler Phillips (4.93) and David Buchanan (4.37) have been inconsistent.
Right-hander Michael Mercado might be next in line after Turnbull. He has a 0.47 ERA, 20 strikeouts, and only eight walks in 19⅓ innings over five starts in triple A.
Extra bases
Matt Strahm went into the weekend having not allowed a run in 17⅔ consecutive innings, the longest scoreless streak by a Phillies reliever since Luis García in 2017 (21⅔ innings). He also had 28 strikeouts and one walk. … Righty reliever Yunior Marte (shoulder) moved closer to a potential return with a second bullpen session in three days. … Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez (2-3, 3.43 ERA) will start Saturday night against Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore (2-4, 3.38).
