Trea Turner returns to Phillies lineup, wraps up NL batting title
PHILADELPHIA — After nearly three weeks on the injured list with a hamstring issue, Phillies shortstop Trea Turner returned to the lineup for Sunday’s regular-season finale. Despite an 0-for-2 performance, he wrapped up the National League batting title.
Turner, who landed on the IL in Sept. 8 with a Grade 1 hamstring strain in his right leg, played four innings in the field in a 2-1, 10-inning Phillies win over the Twins at Citizens Bank Park. It was his first game action since suffering the injury that interrupted a stellar season atop Philadelphia’s batting order. Still, Turner finished the year with 179 hits, which was second in the NL behind Luis Arraez, and a league-leading .304 batting average in 141 games.
He became the first Phillies player to win the batting title since 1958 when Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn led the majors with a .350 average. The club fielded the NL leaders in average, home runs and RBIs in 2025, as designated hitter Kyle Schwarber had a league-best 56 homers and 132 RBIs.
“I think it’s cool,” Turner said of winning his second career batting title. “Only one guy gets it in each league, which makes it tough. Can’t vote on it, stuff like that. I think it makes it cool. I think the ERA title and the batting title are cool awards. I think it just means you had a consistent year and a good year.”
With an .812 OPS, Turner had his best offensive season since joining the Phillies in 2023. He sacrificed a bit of power for an approach focused on getting on base. It brought better results.
“I think this year, he used the field a lot better,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He controlled the zone a lot better. He’s had a really good year.”
Turner was the only qualified hitter to bat over .300 in the NL and one of only seven qualified hitters to eclipse that mark in the major leagues. When asked what makes hitting .300 so difficult in today’s game, the right-handed hitter offered his thoughts.
“Everyone throws 100 (mph). Everyone has six pitches. Nobody knows where the ball’s going,” Turner said, citing the high-powered stuff current pitchers possess. “There’s a lot of reasons. Defenses are way better than they’ve ever been.”
The three-time All-Star acknowledged that he wasn’t pushing himself too hard on Sunday. He wanted to get a sense of the game speed, but he didn’t want to risk any type of injury.
“Today was more about being out there, just kind of feeling it again,” Turner said, “and more about seeing pitches and being on defense.”
The Phillies will begin postseason play on Saturday when they host Game 1 of the NL Division Series against either the Dodgers or the Reds. The team will hold an intrasquad scrimmage in front of fans on Wednesday. Turner’s goal for this week will be to prepare himself, stay healthy and be ready to hustle down the line if it’s needed on the bigger stage.