Trea Turner exits Phillies’ series finale against Marlins with hamstring strain

MIAMI — Phillies star Trea Turner exited Sunday’s game at loanDepot park after straining his right hamstring running through the first-base bag on a grounder to shortstop. The leadoff batter reached on a throwing error by Miami’s Otto Lopez in the top of the seventh inning, then immediately walked off the field, through the visitors’ dugout and into the tunnel.

“Just kind of grabbing on me,” Turner said of what he felt on the play. “It didn’t feel good. Just felt like if I could have kept going, I would’ve. Got out of there and tried to limit the damage.”

Utility infielder Edmundo Sosa entered as a pinch runner at second base for Turner, who was awarded an extra base as the throw went out of play. Sosa remained in the game at shortstop until Harrison Bader pinch hit for him as the Phillies’ ninth-inning comeback attempt fell short in a 5-4 loss in the finale of a three-game series in Miami.

After getting a day off on Saturday, Turner hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning off right-hander Calvin Faucher. He went 1-for-4 with a strikeout and the homer before he was removed from the game. Turner said he’ll have an MRI on Monday, and Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the team will know more about the shortstop’s timeline after he sees a doctor.

Turner is in the midst of his best season in his three years with the Phillies, leading the National League with 179 hits and a .305 batting average in 140 games. He’s stolen 36 bases and has totally turned his defense around after struggling with his glove in 2024. The Phillies now appear to be in position to be without perhaps their top all-around player for some length of time after previously losing ace pitcher Zack Wheeler for the season.

“There’s some concern there,” Thomson said. “Obviously, he’s having a great year. He’s a big part of this ballclub, and we want to keep people healthy, especially coming down the stretch here.”

With only 19 games remaining in the season for Philadelphia, the timing is not ideal. The Phillies will host the Mets for four games at Citizens Bank Park starting Monday with a chance to create double-digit separation for first place in the NL East. The following Monday, they’ll head to Los Angeles for a three-game set with the Dodgers that could have implications for the No. 2 seed in the NL postseason bracket.

“It’s never a good time, really, but having something like this late is not fun,” Turner said. “And when these games obviously really matter, you need to be out there. I’m just kind of more so frustrated, probably, with that than anything, coming down the stretch and playing in big games and not being able to be out there. So hopefully it’s not too many.”

Last season, Turner dealt with a hamstring strain in his left leg that cost him six weeks. He’s hoping that this strain in his right leg is not as severe, but all he and the Phillies can do for now is wait until he’s evaluated further.

“Hopefully better, hopefully not as bad as that,” Turner said when asked to compare the two injuries. “But I’m a little sore now. Try to get back as fast as you can and get ready for that last little stretch and hopefully a good postseason.”

A stint on the injured list certainly seems like it’s likely, if not an inevitability. In that case, Sosa would be in line for the bulk of the playing time at shortstop, as was the case during Turner’s absence last year. Turner clearly does not want to miss an extended period, but he’ll want to avoid coming back too soon in order to avoid additional aggravation.

“That’s where you trust the training staff and trust yourself,” Turner said. “And last year, I thought I did a pretty good job. I might have come back too early, but did a good job managing it and put that behind me, and it was really good by the end of the season. So I’ll kind of do that same thought process, lean on those guys there and try to figure it out.”