Turner expects to miss 6 weeks with hamstring injury

PHILADELPHIA -- Trea Turner made a play that perhaps only he could make.

One of baseball’s fastest players scored from second base on a passed ball in the fourth inning of Friday night’s 4-3 victory over the Giants at Citizens Bank Park. It proved to be the winning run, but Turner injured himself in the process. He was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain on Saturday, and infielder Kody Clemens was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Turner said he expects to miss six weeks.

“Just a freak thing, I guess,” he said Friday.

Giants pitcher Jordan Hicks threw Bryce Harper a 3-2 splitter for ball four. The pitch clanged off catcher Tom Murphy’s glove and rolled to the backstop. Turner ran to third. He saw Murphy jog to the backstop to retrieve the ball, while Hicks watched from the mound.

Turner sprinted home. Hicks ran to cover home plate. Turner’s foot just beat Hicks’ tag.

“I just felt like they were far from home plate,” Turner said. “I thought it would have taken a great play to get me out.”

But Turner felt something in his left hamstring just a couple steps before he reached home plate.

It got “real sore” after that, he said, and left the game.

A stint on the 10-day injured list is a blow to the Phillies. Turner is batting .343 with two home runs, nine RBIs, 10 stolen bases and an .852 OPS this season.

He has been a catalyst atop the Phillies’ lineup.

“I’ve never really had anything like this to be honest with you,” Turner said. “They seemed pretty positive in the training room, so I was pretty happy with that. Or at least more positive than what I had thought. I'm definitely feeling it, but we'll see."

Turner spent 12 days on the injured list in April 2017 with a strained right hamstring. But he said this injury is different.

“Different. Long time ago,” Turner said. “That was kind of a weird thing, too. I didn't actually pull anything or do any damage. That was more of another freak thing. Came back from that one good, so hopefully it's the same thing.”

With Turner out, the Phillies are likely to play Edmundo Sosa at shortstop. Bryson Stott could be an option, with Turner expected to miss an extended period of time. If the Phillies do consider Stott an option at short, Whit Merrifield could play second base.

It is not necessarily a slam-dunk decision, though. Stott has not played shortstop since Game 6 of the 2022 World Series, although he said he takes ground balls there every few days to maintain his arm strength.

“I mean, I don’t know what their thoughts are,” Stott said. “If it’s 10 days, I don’t imagine playing every game at short. I can, and I would. But I haven’t talked to them about it or anything. If that’s what they want me to do, I’ll slide right over.”

Stott said he had the same thought as a lot of people when he saw Turner sprint for home on the passed ball.

“I was saying don’t do it,” Stott said, smiling. “But it’s Trea.”

Turner’s sprint speed (29.6 feet per second) ranks ninth out of 370 tracked runners in baseball, according to Statcast. It was the first time a Phillies player had scored from second on a walk since Desi Relaford in the seventh inning in a game against Arizona on May 8, 1998, at Veterans Stadium, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Gregg Jeffries walked as Relaford stole third. A throwing error from the catcher allowed Relaford to score.

“I saw him rounding third, and I was like, ‘Let’s go,’” Hicks said. “Just a tough throw. I tried to turn my body and make the play. I thought I got him. I guess good heads-up play by him."

“It won us the ballgame,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

“I hate being hurt, I hate being hurt,” Turner said. “I promise you it's not going to be fun for the training staff because I just wear them out. They'll want me on the field more than I want to be on the field sadly.”