After an injury to Trea Turner, the Philadelphia Phillies shortstop depth might be tested. Turner is dealing with back spasms and missed the last two games of the opening series against the Washington Nationals. He is expected to sit out the Phillies home opener against the Colorado Rockies. Turner missed time last season with a hamstring injury. Edmundo Sosa and Bryson Stott filled in at shortstop. Kody Clemens played second base somewhat regularly while Turner was out, and Stott was at shortstop. Turner is expected to return to the lineup before needing to go on the injured list at the moment. Sosa has filled in at shortstop during the two games Turner has missed so far. If Turner remains out, Sosa will likely continue to play shortstop.
Lack Of Options On The 40-Man Roster
With Weston Wilson on the injured list, the Phillies have two position players on their 40-man roster at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Garrett Stubbs and Cal Stevenson are those two players. Stubbs is a catcher, and Stevenson is an outfielder, so there is no obvious call-up option if Turner needed to go on the injured list. Buddy Kennedy was designated for assignment on March 27, so the Phillies have an open 40-man roster spot if needed. Wilson would be an option if he were healthy, as he does have a decent amount of minor league experience at shortstop. This leaves the Phillies with no real options for a call-up if Turner needed to go on the injured list. The team should improve its 40-man roster shortstop depth regardless of how long Turner is out.
Players That Could Be Called Upon If Needed
Christian Arroyo and Rodolfo Castro on the IronPigs have shortstop experience in the majors. However, Arroyo and Castro are out of minor league options, meaning that if they are added to the 40-man roster and get called up, they would have to clear waivers before they could return to the minor leagues. Arroyo had an .861 OPS and a 128 wRC+ during spring training. Clemens beat out Arroyo in part due to minor league options considerations. Castro had a .293 OPS and a -8 wRC+ during spring training. If needed, the Phillies can make a waiver claim on a player. Additionally, adding someone with extensive shortstop experience and minor league options to the 40-man roster would not be a bad idea.
Limited Shortstop Experience On The 26-Man Roster
Outside of Turner, Sosa has the most major league experience at shortstop among those on the Phillies 26-man roster. Sosa has 181 major league appearances with 140 starts. Furthermore, Sosa has 15 Defensive Runs Saved as well as 16 Outs Above Average at shortstop in his major league career. Sosa also has a 12 Fielding Run Value at the position. While Turner was out last year, Sosa performed well in the fill-in role. Stott made 14 of his 97 major league appearances at shortstop during that stretch. In total, Stott has 81 starts at shortstop. Stott has -6 Defensive Runs Saved and -4 Outs Above Average with a -3 Fielding Run Value at the position. Clemens has one major league appearance at shortstop.
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