Information in this article provided from: COREY SEIDMAN, NBCSP & Phillies.com
To read NBC Sports Philadelphia's coverage: https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/phillies/phillies-rhys-hoskins-carted-field-knee-injury
"It's unfortunate that this happens at this point of the year, early before the season even starts. We're gonna pull together," says Kyle Schwarber on teammate Rhys Hoskins. Hoskins wound up tearing his left ACL going back on a grounder at first. It was a non-contact injury, and after he was carted off, he was taken for an MRI, which revealed the tear. Standard baseball ACL recoveries are nine months or so.
Hoskins, who was on a hitting streak, is a brutal loss for both himself and the team. In his last year of the contract, he was expected to put up big numbers, but now he'll just be putting his knee up to rest. Hoskins was an everyday player, playing in 156 games last year and hitting 30 home runs.
The good news is the Phillies can fill the void. Between Darick Hall, Edmundo Sosa, Alec Bohm, and Josh Harrison, the Phils can handle the first baseman's duties. You could put JT Realmuto there once or twice weekly and allow Garrett Stubbs to play more games. Let's examine this further:
Darick Hall: Start Hall against an RHP. He has put up BIG offensive numbers and leads the league in Spring Training home runs.
Edmundo Sosa: Start Sosa against an LHP and have him play first or any infield spot. He's a great defensive player too.
Alec Bohm: Bohm will have a lot of playtime, regardless of the corner. He improved his footwork at third, but 1st is a very footwork-based position, so there's a slight worry there.
Josh Harrison: Harrison, who would be a bench player, is now a lot more important.
JT Realmuto: He has the experience at first for backup; it could be good to get him off his feet occasionally and let Stubbs handle the plate.
Ideally, you mostly have Hall start at first, and if he takes Rhys' roster spot, it leaves two bench spots open. I'd say give them to Jake Cave (OF), who is batting .442 with 19 hits, 12 RBIs, 3 HR, and a 1.349 OPS. The other spot can go to Scott Kingery (Utility), and he's batting .357 with 15 hits, 3 RBIs, one homer, and a .889 OPS.
We'll have to wait and see, but these last few days of Spring Training got really interesting.
Get well soon Rhys!!!
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