How will the Philadelphia Phillies cover the loss of Rhy Hoskins after he tore his ACL?
The defending champions of MLB’s National League were dealt a major blow before the season even started. The question now is, how do they cover such a loss?
Spring training has now left the Phillies with a hole to fill after their first baseman was ruled out with a serious injury. Indeed, the team now faces a situation where they will have to find a replacement as their player faces the prospect that he won’t play at all this season.
Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins out for entire season
The Philadelphia Phillies announced some very bad news on Thursday, after reports confirmed that first baseman Rhys Hoskins had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will now require surgery. Hoskins was seen in clear distress as he was carted off the field on Thursday afternoon, following a non-contact left knee injury while fielding a ground ball during a spring game against the Detroit Tigers. Though the Phillies didn’t officially indicate any timeline for Hoskins’ recovery, it’s all but certain that he won’t be playing this season.
At 30-years-old Hoskins is due to enter free agency at the end of this coming season. A consistent player in the middle order across his time in the league, his last campaign saw him post .246/.332/.462 with 33 doubles and 30 home runs. Needless to say, this is not an ideal situation for the Phillies who are already facing a start to the season without designated hitter, Bryce Harper, who continues to recover from Tommy John surgery.
What will the Phillies do in Rhys Hoskins’ absence?
The logical replacement for Hoskins would be Darick Hall and to that end Phillies president, Dave Dombrowski affirmed the point. “I do feel comfortable to say that we like Darick Hall a lot,” Dombrowski said on Friday. “We feel that he’ll get the majority of the playing time at first base. ...We think he’s ready to step up and be a big league player.”
Of course, if it should come to pass that Hall doesn’t work out in the corner, the Phillies could well shift Alec Bohm over to the spot while placing Josh Harrison at third. It’s worth mentioning on the other hand, that Hall’s proposed placement at first base does in fact create the real possibility of a change at DH i.e., the aforementioned Bohm, Nick Castellanos, or Kyle Schwarber. Yet, there is also the chance that the franchise will dip into the free agency market to replace Hoskins. Should that be the case, don’t be surprised if you hear mention of Miguel Sanó who has proved lethal with the bat lately. Ultimately, the defending National League champions will have to do something to fill the void left by a player who put six home runs on the board during the team’s 17 postseason games. Not an easy thing to do.