Phillies activate Trea Turner, demote Johan Rojas

Trea Turner has been activated by the Philadelphia Phillies and returns to the Major League roster.

Since leaving the game early on May 3 with a hamstring strain, Trea Turner has been out of action for roughly six weeks. In his absence, Edmundo Sosa has gotten a lot of playing time. Sosa has made the most of the opportunity and has been an incredible fill-in for Turner.

His time off the field has given other players chances to prove themselves and given Rob Thomson a chance to try out new lineups. Turner will likely return to his spot at second in the Phillies’ lineup, batting behind Kyle Schwarber.

Not only does Turner’s return help the team as a whole, but it will also help out Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the lineup. Kyle should get better pitches to hit with Turner backing him up. Harper should have a speedster in front of him on the basepaths, which can increase his counting statistics. Harper is currently second in NL MVP odds per Draftkings and has quietly put together a strong 2024 season.

Rojas Demoted to Lehigh Valley

With Turner returning, the Phillies had to make a corresponding move to active their shortstop. The move that they made was to demote Johan Rojas to Triple-A. Rojas was the only bench player that had a minor-league option. This means the team could send him down to Lehigh Valley without making him available to other clubs.

The 23-year-old outfielder is hitting .235 with an OPS of .566 this season. Rojas has shown some signs of improvement at the plate with his strikeout percentage dropping from 25.6% in 2023 to 15.8% in 2024. However, Johan has not been able to consistently reach base. Despite having the seventh most plate appearances on the team, he is 12th in walks with just 7.

Rojas skipped Triple-A altogether in 2023, making the jump to the big leagues straight from Double-A Reading. He will get a chance to start every day for the Iron Pigs and I’d imagine he would hit near the top of their order. This will increase his plate appearances, which will allow him to work on his hitting tools.

I would expect to see Johan Rojas back with the Phillies at some point this season. In the event of an injury, he would be the next man up. When the rosters expand to 28 players in August, he will likely get the call. In the meantime, however, the young outfielder has to improve offensively to become an everyday major league player.