Larry Henry Jr
The Philadelphia Phillies received the news they feared the most on Thursday involving first baseman Rhys Hoskins.
Hoskins suffered a torn left ACL on Thursday in the Phillies 4-1 spring training win over the Detroit Tigers, the team announced Thursday night. He suffered a non-contact injury in the second inning and will now require reconstructive surgery.
Hoskins is expected to miss the entire 2023 season, joining Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux as the latest MLB player to suffer the injury this spring.
“No matter what happens with our club, you’re going to have some injuries during the course of the year, and our club finds a way to pick up the pieces and move forward.’’ said manager Rob Thomson before the results of the MRI were announced. “That’s what we did last year. And we’ll continue to do that.’’
Hoskins delivered 30 home runs and 79 RBIs last season for the Phillies, as they reached the World Series for the first time since 2009. He has averaged 30 homers per year in the four full seasons since 2018 and is set to become a free agent next winter.
The Phillies are already without All-Star outfielder Bryce Harper until summer and will now be without another key bat in their lineup. Offseason acquisition Trea Turner, fellow outfielders Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber, and catcher J.T. Realmuto will anchor the lineup for most of the season, bearing any possible injuries in 2023.
“It’s just a bad feeling,” Turner said about Hoskins’ injury. “Whenever you see a player go down, whether it’s our team or another team, whether it’s on the field or the weight room, you don’t want it to happen. It’s so close to the season.”
The Phillies open their 2023 regular season schedule on March 31 against the Texas Rangers before also visiting the New York Yankees in Week 2.
You can follow Larry Henry on Twitter (@lhenry019) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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