PHILADELPHIA -- Rhys Hoskins is playing baseball with a broken jaw and a modified helmet, but neither is bothering him at the plate.
He ripped a three-run home run to left field in the third inning Saturday in a 12-3 loss to the Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. It handed the Phillies a 3-2 lead. The Phillies activated Hoskins from the 10-day disabled list before the game. Hoskins, who also singled in the eighth, suffered a hairline fracture on the right side of his jaw May 28 at Dodger Stadium, where he fouled a pitch off his face.
Hoskins said Friday it will take 4-6 weeks for the fracture to completely heal, but there is minimal risk to playing. He is wearing a helmet with flaps that protect both sides of his face, in the event something happens at the plate or on the bases.
"Completely normal," Hoskins said. "It was good. Just another normal day at the ballpark. Looked a little different but that's about it."
Hoskins said he didn't even notice the new-look helmet at the plate, which is a good thing.
"Quite honestly, the way they were able to lower it, I can't even see the one on the left side," he said. "I can't see the one on the right side either. They did a good job."
It was Hoskins' seventh homer of the season, and his first since May 20. Hoskins had been struggling before he landed on the DL. He hit just .143 with a .506 OPS in 27 games from April 28 through May 29. Perhaps the time off changed his luck.
"I said this during May, pretty much for the whole time I felt pretty good," he said. "The results weren't there obviously but for the most part my swing felt good. So it's a lot of the same stuff -- the home run, the other hit dropped, I would say it's a good start."