10:35am: Hall actually tore a ligament in his thumb, reports Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and will require surgery.
9:20am: The Phillies announced that they have recalled infielder Kody Clemens from Triple-A. He’ll take the roster spot of infielder Darick Hall, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right thumb sprain, retroactive to April 6. The recall of Clemens had been previously reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
The Phillies have been hit hard by the injury bug in the early parts of this season as they’ve limped out to a 1-5 start in the first week. Up until about two weeks ago, Hall was lined up to be in a supporting role on the Phillies’ bench behind regular first baseman Rhys Hoskins. Unfortunately, Hoskins suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a spring contest, an injury that could keep him out of action for the entire season.
That bumped Hall to the top of the depth chart at first base, which was a decent fallback for the Phils to have on hand. He hit 28 home runs in Triple-A last year and then added nine more in his 42-game major league debut. He struck out in 31% of his major league plate appearances but still hit .250/.282/.522 for a wRC+ of 120. He’s appeared in all six contests so far this year, getting the starting gig at first base in five of them, but will now head to the injured list for a spell.
It’s unclear how much time Hall is expected to miss, but the Phils will have to improvise at first now that they are doubly shorthanded there, at least until Hall can return. It’s possible that Alec Bohm moves from over from third base, opening up the hot corner for players like Clemens, Edmundo Sosa or Josh Harrison. Clemens spent time at first, second, third and left field with the Tigers last year but hit just .145/.197/.308 in 127 plate appearances. His Triple-A batting line was a much nicer .274/.327/.535. If the Phils look outside the organization, there are some notable free agents still available, including first base-capable players like Miguel Sanó and Darin Ruf.
oh noooooooooooooo
“They’re nothing without me. I was the force behind that 2022 run.” -Joe Girardi
Haha. No. Not one person thinks they’re better with Girardi. Even Girardi himself knows he sucks. Harper, Hoskins, Hall, Suarez, Painter, Bohm….this team is a banged up mess. But it’s April. If you have to be bitten by an injury bug, now’s the time.
Bohm is horrible probably better off with a random backup
Fraham clearly you haven’t been paying attention. Also I meant to say Marsh. Bohm is thankfully not hurt. Bohm is currently hitting ..329 with and an OBS of 1..058.
Bohm has improved quite a bit defensively at 3b. He is an average major league fielder at the position. He will have a big year offensively this year. The power will come, and the average will be consistant.
If you’re willing to use a 5 game sample size then great. But he’s shown to be one of the worst regulars in baseball the past couple years. Probably one of the most overrated players too since people actually think he’s been good/underrated. -17 DRS last year and he still a below average hitter at a position where hitting is at a premium. At least an improvement from his negative WAR 70 wRC+ 2021! And already -2 DRS this year so lots of improvement defensively. I bet you can find almost any hitter as well with a 1.000 OPS over a 5 game stretch.
You’re first sentence criticizes using a small sample size, and yet you use it for your DRS argument. This is a make or break year for Bohm. He was a rookie with a bad glove. He came around late last year and in the playoffs, but his offense doesn’t justify being a corner IF yet. He’s off to a promising start in 2023, but to your point if he doesn’t significantly improve, he’s not an option next year. So far, he looks good though. Small sample size, but he’s a young talent who shows signs of growth and potential. You can’t kudge him like a veteran.
My DRS small sample size point was to whoever said he’s shown large improvement this year to the point where he’s now an average defender overall. Few team serious about contending would rely heavily on Bohm to be a quality regular, but the Phillies then again have a lot of holes so I guess there’s any so many you can fill through free agency/trades.
Bohm is getting paid less than a $1 million this year. A playoff team absolutely plug him in at 1B or 3B so that they could spend elsewhere.
He’s literally a worse version of Keston Hiura who just went unclaimed on waivers.
Fraham,
Not even close and I am a huge fan of Hiura who followed him in the minors and with the Brewers. When Hiura exploded on the since in 2019 and put up .300 average, 19 HRs and almost double digit steals. I thought this guy was going to set the world on fire. However since then he has regressed in every facet of his game. Can’t hit, no extra base hits, can’t steal, can’t get on base. Even though Hiura has one more year in the big leagues than Bohm. Bohm is a career .270 hitter compared to Hiura’s .238. Bohm’s on base is higher than Hiura. Only think Hiura did better than Bohm was hit more homeruns. And lastly, the reason no one claimed Hiura is the fact he is making $2.2 million or $2.5 million, the main reason why he opted to stay with the Brewers.
They each one fluke year. Hiura’s was much better by the way. If you take those out then they have a 1 wRC+ gap. And they both have bad defense so it’s fair to say they are comparable. Obviously salary can affect value but I’m strictly talking who’s better.
Von, welcome to the Fraham/Camden comedy hour where slapstick is king…
Bummer for Hall, was looking forward to see what he was capable of.
Haha. Thanks Curly. I need to start remembering some of these guys.
@curly me too. Hall has been dismissed by many….
No he’s not Howard or Hoskins, but there are a ton of guys who’ve carved out good careers w/ similar talent.
IMO he looks like a new age #6 hitter, lots of k’s, .240-.250 hitter but with base clearing power, miscast as a clean-up hitter in Philly.
450 pa’s would have been something one way or another.
What do you disagree with of what I said? I admit I may have jumped the gun to call Hiura better, but they’re still comparable based on stats. I mean you guys are comparing batting averages and home runs to justify who’s a better hitter. I’m not saying he can’t improve ever but it’s rare for a contending team to consider a guy with his numbers the last two years at 3B as a 150 or so game guy.
There’s an old saying…”you can’t win a pennant in Aptil…but you can lose one.”
I was hoping to see if he could seize the opportunity as he is a great kid, but still rather skeptical as to him developing into a difference maker. Clemens might not be all that much different.over there in the short term.
More concerned about the arms, and looking to see them designate Pache and bring up Kingery.
Pache would be a great addition if the team was healthy. He’s an excellent late-inning defensive specialist, but he cannot hit at all. In their current state, the Phils would need Pache to bat which is a nightmare.
Also would be a great pinch-runner, especially in the late innings, with excellent speed. But for someone with elite speed, he just doesn’t SB like he should. Not sure why.
A lot of stealing bases is reading the pitchers move to first base/ home plate. Most of it is ” baseball instincts”, but to some degree it can be learned from a good first base coach. Getting a fair lead, and the first step, are crucial ( unless you have blazing speed) to stealing second.
Even with speed Pache has not proven to be a very good base runner.
I hate to say it because I didn’t want to move him and mess up his defensive improvement, but the Phillies need to move Bohm to 1B and Soto to start at 3B.
@carver, I know the talent sent was negligible, but man Long can only do so much?
The Pache pa’s have been odd. He profiles as a Nippon league guy at this point.
Play there, away from US eyes, slow it down and learn?
Wonder what DD thinks “out loud” of Guthrie/Kingery to bring this guy in?
Should of got Luke Voit when they had the chance.
When was that? Brew Crew signed him pretty quickly and Hall was healthy at the time.
Oh yeah look out for the Little Roid Rocket he’s going to blast this Phillies offense off into the stratosphere against the Reds.
I feel bad for the Phillies. When it rains, it pours.
“April showers bring May flowers.” says Von, not even believing it himself.
Suarez is the key guy to get back now. As you previously stated, he is clearly the Phillies #3 starter. Any long absence ( a month or longer), will hurt badly. Harper will be back in May ( assuming no setback). Painter is a major question mark. The Phillies can’t count on him contributing this year. Marsh is ok, and Hall shouldn’t be out long. Unless Harrison hits, he won’t be long for the mlb roster. Pache, may get a couple more starts, and then be released. Kingery is waiting in the wings.
Only thing Clemens provided Tigers with last year was as a blowout pitcher and made several appearances even struckout Shoie Ohtoni 🙂
CJ Cron come on down….
I don’t see it. Phillies don’t have a lot to give up.
Agreed, Cron is worth more than the Phil’s can afford to give up. Maybe see what Boston wants for Dalbec?
That’s exactly what I was thinking when I read Hall was out after thumb surgery. As a Red Sox fan I am intrigued with a deal for him,
Cron wouldn’t cost THAT much, he’s in the last year of his contract. He’s a good power threat but the fact that he is stuck at first, and also has had questionable defense at the position sometimes, wouldn’t cost you a top 100 or anything. Maybe the Phillies 7th or 8th top prospect and a lotto ticket in rookie ball.
Seems like that would be more of a trade deadline acquisition. the 3rd NL wild card winner probably slightly above .500 anyways. Wont be a big reach to go out and grab a rental player at the deadline. Cron is a great candidate for that. Handful of others probably available too.
But is Colorado looking to trade Cron? They don’t seem to care that a player is in the last year of a contract. Not every player Phili wants, or that you think is available cheap, will be.
Cron wouldn’t cost THAT much
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IMO, the problem isn’t his value, but more the fact that the Rox will be afraid to trade. And being afraid to trade will make them ask for much more than he is worth, If Cron is worth a 40+ FV, they’ll ask for a 45+, just so they can say no one met their demands.
@joebrady
Yeah that is a good point, not exactly the most predictable organization.
The trade with Detroit that brought Soto there looks like it was torn from the pages of Swindler’s list. That trade allowed Detroit to win 2 against the Astros, and the Phil’s to lose 2 games. The trade is a big win for Detroit, but you can’t blame D.D for trying to get better. Soto will come around, but those two losses for the Phil’s loom large in the early going. That trade really helped Detroit, and the team is playing better for it.
Small sample size. Even without Soto in that Yankee game, the Phillies didn’t score. So they would’ve lost anyway.
“but you can’t blame D.D for trying to get better. ”
==============================
It’s too early to say if it is a bad trade yet, but “trying to get better” is pretty meaningless. Approximately 100% of the entire planet is “trying to get better”.
“Soto will come around,”
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Probably, but both he and Kimbrel strike me as guys that are more valuable as closers than setup guys. I wouldn’t expect them to be anything special as 7th inning guys.
Trade Yankees for IKF, please.
IKF doesn’t play 1B. I think the Yankees end up either trading IKF for pennies on the dollar later in the season or DFA’ing him when they need the roster spot
I assume you are a Yankees fan because no Phillies fan would want that waste of space on the team
I K F adds nothing to the Phillies team. He isn’t good enough to be a starter. He is better than Harrison, but that is it. Kingery will be up soon, and he can play all the infield positions ( except first), and cf.
nonono I’d take it
Why? no one what IKF when they tried to dump him in the off season.
Phillies are getting thin at one of the easier positions to fill. While I’m sure many remember Ruf’s first go around with the Phillies at this point he’s probably worth it as a depth signing. If Sano is in shape and can actually get around the ball he’d probably hit 40 HR’s in the Philly bandbox. Heck, at this point see how many bags of sunflower seeds Washington wants for Matt Adams
Yeah I mean at this point it wouldn’t be a horrible idea to give Ruf a go at it. He’s been good as recently the season before last.
Something is in the water the east coast teams are drinking.
Uh probably the Vinyl Chloride
Can you believe this enormous spate of thumb spraining of late!? This proves that MLB players DO visit this forum and incur opposable digititis by scrolling Dock Elvis’s posts.
When Matt Holiday left a game because of a moth flying inside of his ear I knew all bets were off pertaining to baseball injuries.
i wonder if they would look to Schwarber at first
he played a handful of games there for the Sox
Hes flat out awful. Lesser of two evils would be to move Bohm to 1B and have Sosa/Harrison fill the 3B void.
cool
Like you can’t play baseball with nine fingers. I’ve seen people in wheelchairs hit home runs.
From 10 Day IL to done for the season in 15 minutes. Yikes.
Matt Adam’s
Why not add Sano on a minor league deal? At this point he can’t be expecting much more, can he?
No owner in his right mind would sanoff on Sano.
It is very early. But, if they Phillies need a low risk hitter who can play 1B and multiple positions, Miguel Sano could be had for 3-5M. 1 year. He is still a FA.
Why would you pay him that, when you would be his only offer? The season already started. Either he wants to play or he doesn’t. Offering a contract, any contract, should be all that’s required.
Why not add Sano on a minor league deal? At this point, he can’t be expecting much more, can he?
Sano is a strikeout machine.
Make a trade for Bobby Dalbec from the Red Sox??? I’m sure the Sox want him as a viable 1B backup if Casas goes down with an injury, but utilizing Justin Turner as a backup 1B currently might seem like Dalbec could be had just not sure Boston would part with him for much of a return from the Phils if he’s only a fill-in for (some of) this season. This coming from a Sox fan.
Dalbec and Kingery played college ball together.
Trade for CJ Cron (Abel or McGarry would do it)
DFA Harrison, Pache
Hall to 60 day IL
Add Kingery to 40 man and activate.
There’s a reason I’m not a GM
Giving up Abel or McGarry is pretty tough, especially with Nola not extended. But yeah. They have a blatant hole. Very few teams could survive losing 2 starting 1B.
McGarry is probably closer to big league ready but he’s still ONLY a prospect…
I’m completely done with Harrison and Pache and I’m very tolerant of poor play.
Absolutely – it’s already a week into the season! Release them all! The sky is falling!
Trade all of the best prospects for mediocre players!
McGarry is hurt….
absolutely not giving up ether of those two for a rental.
Horrible news. Hope his recovery is rapid
Whoa, Ruf news.
Yeah. I’m Dar in the dumps about it. Okay…yours was much better.
Who can the Phillies trade for? DET Jonathan Schoop, OAK Jesus Aguilar, WAS Dominic Smith, WAS Joey Meneses, PIT Ji-Man Choi, CHC Eric Hosmer.
Oh your list I see only Schoops and Aguilar being traded, but unless the deal was worthwhile both teams would probably wait until the deadline. Well, at least with Aguilar.
well this sucks!!!!!! everyone is injured or playing horrible. we are in trouble already only 6gms into the season.
BTW, I’ll take Miguel sano please
There is no need to panic in Philly. Give the at bats to Sosa. This is the year he breaks out. The guy is a freakish athlete that can help you win in a lot of ways. He may test your patience swinging at stuff he couldn’t hope to hit, but he will make up for it overall. Just give him a chance. The only time the Cards gave him regular at bats, he ran with it. He was a big part of our win streak in ’21. Just put him in the lineup and enjoy the “wow” plays.
May be the better call over Jetpax, but where would you bat Sosa….guy won’t walk and k’s a TON…..
But hit a PH hr today…
Ruf — would be a good candidate for phillies – being he is familiar there
Here is Chaim Bloom’s opportunity to sell high on Dalbec and get a piece to add to the talent pool below the major league club..