Quinn to miss 'several weeks' with groin strain

PHILADELPHIA -- Roman Quinn was placed on the injured list prior to Thursday’s series opener against the Marlins after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 groin strain. Dylan Cozens was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Quinn’s place on the active roster.

There’s no timetable for Quinn’s return, but manager Gabe Kapler said he expects the outfielder to miss “at least several weeks.” The move comes exactly one week since Quinn was activated from the injured list after he missed the first three weeks of the season with a strained right oblique.

“To his defense, this poor kid has done everything in his power to stay on the field, and his body has just not cooperated,” Kapler said. “I feel terrible for him, because he’s an uber-talented individual. He’s got a special talent. He’s as athletic as anyone on the field.”

Quinn is just the latest Phillies position player to land on the injured list, joining starting center fielder Odubel Herrera (strained right hamstring), as well as shortstop Jean Segura (strained left hamstring) and utility man Scott Kingery (strained right hamstring). Kapler said that Segura remains on track to return on Saturday, while Kingery is still at least a week to 10 days away from being considered ready.

With Herrera not expected to return until after this weekend’s series against the Marlins, Kapler said he may need to get creative with some of his outfield alignments over the next four games.

“There’s one scenario where [Andrew] McCutchen plays center and Nick [Williams] plays left,” Kapler said. “There’s another scenario where [Aaron] Altherr plays center and Nick plays left, and there’s not an unrealistic scenario where Dylan Cozens plays center field for us, as well.”

Kapler went with Altherr in center and McCutchen in left for Thursday’s series opener, but he also acknowledged that he hopes to get McCutchen a day off in the near future. That said, the club has no intention of speeding up Herrera’s rehab process as a result of Quinn’s injury.

“We will not put him at risk or push him for one day or two days,” Kapler said. “We’re going to look at it as when he’s physically capable -- his hamstring is capable of handling the workload -- at that point, we’ll bring him back.”

That could open the door for Cozens, who played 54 innings in left field and 23 2/3 innings in right field during his time with the Phillies last season. The 24-year-old did appear in nine games in center with Lehigh Valley in 2018, but he's been used exclusively in the corner outfield spots so far this season.

Cozens is hitting .218 (12-for-55) through 16 games with Lehigh Valley, though nine of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases, including six homers. He also has 15 walks, resulting in a .380 on-base percentage and impressive 1.017 OPS.

“I think he’s batting [around] .200 and has an OPS over 1.000, meaning he’s walking and he’s hitting for power and he’s getting on base, but he’s not necessarily hitting for a high average,” Kapler said. “I think his ceiling is higher than that.”

As for the early rash of injuries, Kapler said the club is doing everything it can to evaluate the situation. The skipper spoke highly of both head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan and Major League strength and conditioning coach Paul Fournier, and said the club is just going to be “diligent about examining our workloads” given the string of injuries.

“I will have conversations with guys and say, ‘If there’s a day when your body’s just a little bit tired, come to the ballpark at 5:30, get loose for the game, go out there and kick some [butt]. And then the next day, get your work in,’” Kapler said. “So there’s this healthy balance of recovery and work, recovery and work. Finding the right balance is tricky.”