Phillies’ Trea Turner fields grounders, looks ‘ahead of schedule’

One week after the health of his right hamstring triggered an uptick in the Phillies’ DEFCON level, Trea Turner fielded grounders at shortstop.
Surely, it represented progress.
“I hate to say it,” said Rob Thomson, ever the superstitious manager, “but it looks like he’s ahead of schedule.”
Not so far ahead that Turner traveled with the team to Los Angeles on Sunday night. But with another productive week of treatment, it’s even likelier that he could return from the injured list in the final week of the regular season.
» READ MORE: The Phillies should get Trea Turner back this season. But which player will they have for the playoffs?
Meanwhile, third baseman Alec Bohm also fielded grounders and was scheduled for swings off a tee and soft tosses. Bohm, who received an injection to relieve inflammation in his left shoulder, could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday in Arizona.
Utility infielder Edmundo Sosa (groin) will continue to rest through Tuesday, according to Thomson. If he’s unable to play by then, the Phillies might consider putting him on the injured list.
Turner’s ability to get back on the field figures to have the biggest impact on the Phillies’ chances to make a deep run in the playoffs. Before he injured his hamstring last Sunday in Miami, he played his way into the NL MVP conversation, leading the league in hits (179) and average (.305), with 31 doubles, 15 homers, 94 runs, 36 stolen bases, and vastly improved defense at shortstop.
Given how much Turner can change a game with his speed, it’s important for the Phillies that he’s uninhibited when he returns.
Last season, Turner suffered a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring in May. (This time, it’s a milder Grade 1 level.) He missed 44 games, and although he went 25-for-75 in his first 17 games back, he didn’t attempt a stolen base until his 15th game.
But because the injury occurred in May, Turner had time to ease back to full speed. That won’t be the case now.
» READ MORE: Inside Trea Turner’s remarkable improvement at shortstop that has turned him into an MVP candidate
“He was probably still recovering a little bit,” Thomson said of Turner’s hesitancy to run as often last season. “But also there’s kind of a fear in there for everybody when they come back from injury, whether it’s a pitcher coming off Tommy John [elbow surgery] or some type of injury. It’s always in the back of your mind.
“Hopefully we can get through that when he’s 100%, and he runs 100%.”
Thomson & Torre
Joe Torre, the Hall of Fame manager and Thomson’s former boss with the Yankees, was in town with his Safe At Home Foundation to help bring awareness to domestic violence.
Thomson ran the Yankees’ spring-training camp during the latter part of Torre’s run as manager. It was Torre who gave Thomson his ubiquitous nickname — “Topper” — because he was always on top of everything.
Years later, with the Phillies headed to the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season under Thomson’s direction, Torre is happy to see his protegé’s success as a manager.
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“He worked through the minor leagues, not knowing what tomorrow was going to look like,” Torre said. “I played the game in the big leagues for 17 years and luckily got a job as a manager right after that. So, I didn’t have to deal with a lot of stuff he dealt with. He was just so loyal.”
Torre said he tried to take Thomson with him to Los Angeles after becoming the Dodgers’ manager in 2008.
“He wouldn’t leave the Yankees because he was so loyal to them,” Torre said. “Things changed, and he came over here [in 2018], which was the best thing that ever happened to him because it gave him a chance to flourish and show what he’s really capable of.”
Extra bases