The Phillies first baseman injured his knee on a non-contact play on Thursday.
The Phillies have to find a way to replace first baseman Rhys Hoskins after he suffered a knee injury during a spring training game. Hoskins was injured after going for a ground ball. The first baseman immediately went down holding his knee in pain. After the Phillies training staff visited Hoskins on the field, a cart was brought out to take him to the clubhouse. Later it was announced that Hoskins tore his ACL in his left knee and will require surgery. Surgery of this nature will likely cause him to miss the entire 2023 season. The injury is absolutely devastating for the Phillies and for Hoskins— a core member of the organization.
The Phillies have some internal pieces that could help fill the void that Hoskins’ injury leaves. The top option that comes to mind is Darick Hall. Hall plays first base exclusively and is familiar to the club. The left-handed slugger can hit for power, especially against right-handed pitching. He proved that last season when he hit nine home runs while Bryce Harper was on the injured list. Hall has also put on an offensive display this spring. In 47 at-bats he is hitting .319 with five home runs. The Phillies could easily use Hall at first base against right-handed pitching in Hoskins’ absence.
Left-handed pitching could prove more problematic for the Phillies. One school of thought is that the Phillies could use Alec Bohm and first base and Edmundo Sosa at third base on days against a left-handed opponent. Bohm has played first base before but moving him around could hinder the progress he is making at third base. This could be an option occasionally, but it should not be the only one against left-handers.
Another option is to play J.T. Realmuto at first base. This is interesting because it would give him a rest from the daily wear and tear behind the plate. The issue is that Garrett Stubbs— Realmuto’s backup— is a left-handed bat. Not ideal against tough left-handed pitching.
While there are some options to play first base in place of Hoskins, it will be difficult for the Phillies to replicate his production. Hoskins, defensively, has caused Phillies fans some anxiety over the years, but first base is not a defensively known position. Hoskins is always good for around 25-30 home runs and an OPS around .800. These numbers will be missed in Hoskins’ absence. The Phillies have depth which is good, but without a consistent option to man first base every day, things could get dicey. Maybe they look to sign a cheap, right-handed free agent bat to help. Time will tell.
Hoskins is in the last year of arbitration with the Phillies and will be a free agent after the season. He has looked really good this spring and was in store for a potentially big year. He has a been a backbone in the Phillies organization since he came up with the club in 2017. The injury causes the Phillies to miss their first baseman and a clubhouse leader. For Hoskins, it causes him to miss out on a chance to return to the World Series with this team and more personally for him, a contract.
Losing Hoskins is certainly an early test for the 2023 Phillies. Let’s see if they can be as resilient as they were last season when Harper went down. The team is deeper heading into this season. Hopefully, that depth can come through and push the Phillies through the first few months of the season.
