Trea Turner Is Stepping Up for the Phillies

After the Phillies lost both Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to injury, the club needed someone to step up in their absence. As many had hoped, it was the $300 million man, Trea Turner, who carried the team in their absence. Now, as the pair of sluggers have returned for Philadelphia, their All-Star shortstop has continued his torrid pace, collecting three hits and the sixth-career grand slam of his career Tuesday night as the Phillies began a critical series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Turner has always been a world-class baseball player and a top guy on every team he has ever played for. With the Phillies, it almost sometimes feels like Trea is just one of the guys, considering the incredible amount of talent the team possesses. However, he is far too capable of carrying a team to be relegated to just “another one of the guys,” and he has put that on display while Bryce and Kyle were on the Injured List, and even now as they have returned.

Stars shine bright

Since losing two of their best hitters, Turner has gotten red hot. In the nine games Harper and Schwarber missed, Trea is hitting .342 with a 1.043 OPS. He has hit four home runs, which have come in two multi-homer games. Turner has 11 runs batted in during this stretch and even added a stolen base to his ledger. This is the first stolen bag he has gotten since returning from injury himself.

During this same time period, it was announced that Turner would be the starting shortstop for the National League in the 2024 All-Star game. Turner joins both Alec Bohm and Bryce Harper as starters for the mid-summer classic. This is the first time he will represent the Phillies in the All-Star game and is the first shortstop since Jimmy Rollins in 2002 to start the All-Star for the franchise.

Turner’s impact

For the Phillies to reach their goal of winning the World Series, Turner is going to have to continue playing like an MVP-caliber shortstop.

With the Phillies’ lineup now back at full strength, there are 6 All-Star players, two MVP-caliber stars, and some young developing talent. If Turner hadn’t gotten injured, he might be in the MVP conversation alongside Bryce Harper and Shohei Ohtani.

Trea is hitting .342 on the season with a .903 OPS. The missed time hampered his counting stats, but he is on pace to put together a really strong season and seems to be heating up.

Turner flashed in the post-season last year for the Phillies, and if he can play like that once again, the Phillies should find themselves in a position to win a championship. Pairing this with another MVP-like season by Harper, a breakout year for Bohm, and a dynamic pitching staff, the Phillies are heading down the right path.

Staying healthy and playing their game is all that is in front of this club. Winning the National League East for the first time since 2011 is their first checkpoint. Winning their second pennant in three years will be their second checkpoint. Then, finally, winning the World Series will conclude what the Phillies are hoping to be a season to remember.