Trea Turner's Phillies injury update is even worse than it sounds

The Philadelphia Phillies have surpassed the Atlanta Braves in the NL East standings. A goal of the Phillies prior to the season was to win the division for the first time in...awhile. Atlanta has won the NL East every season from 2018-23.

So far this season Trea Turner has been a sparkplug for this Phillies team. Hitting second in the lineup, Turner's .343 batting average has been exactly what Philly needs from one its best offensive players. Defensively, Turner has provided stability at second base, as well.

However, Turner suffered a sprained left hamstring injury on Friday night while trying to score. The immediate comments by the Phillies training staff and Rob Thomson were not encouraging.

“When it happened, I thought it was a little more serious than anything I’ve had in the past,” Turner said. “I didn’t expect it to be good to go (immediately). But it could have been a lot worse than it was. Anything before six weeks would be a win. That’s what they tell me as of right now, but with injuries in general I think it’s tough to put a timeline on that.”

Trea Turner could be out longer than six weeks for Phillies

As of Friday night, the Phillies had won 14 of their last 18 games to take first place away from the Braves, who are in a bit of a slump of their own. As Turner mentioned, six weeks is the best-case scenario. He could very well miss more time on top of his initial prognosis. In the meantime, JT Realmuto will hit second, per manager Rob Thomson.

“It’s tough,” said Thomson. “It’s one of the best players in the game you’re losing. But we’ve been through this before and people just pick it up. That’s why you have a team. For the most part, Sosa is going to play short. But you have to be careful with him, too, because he hasn’t played every day. If you run him out there 10 days in a row, you’re probably putting him in danger."

Bryson Stott could hit second in Turner's absence as well. The shorthanded Phillies will face a major test without the star infielder.