Jose Quintana To Undergo MRI For Calf Injury
Jose Quintana suffered a calf injury that led to his abbreviated start in the Brewers’ 3-2 loss to the Cardinals today. Manager Pat Murphy told media (including Hunter Baumgardt of 97.3 The Game radio) said Quintana was wearing a walking boot, and would undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the damage.
Quintana threw only 67 pitches today, allowing three earned runs on four hits and two walks over four innings of work. That final inning was a painful one for the veteran southpaw, as Quintana was hit by a Pedro Pages comebacker in the first at-bat of the frame, and Murphy said Quintana then hurt his calf while covering first base to record the final out.
More will be known once the MRI results are in, yet as Murphy put it, potentially losing Quintana would be “alarming, with how injured we already are in the bullpen and on the mound.” Milwaukee has seven pitchers currently on the injured list, including five members of the relief corps — Shelby Miller and Connor Thomas have both been lost to long-term UCL surgeries, while Logan Henderson won’t pitch for at least the rest of the regular season.
The tough outing against St. Louis gives Quintana a 7.40 ERA over his last four starts and 20 2/3 innings pitched. Though he tossed 184 2/3 innings for the Mets during the 2024 regular season and postseason, it could be that Quintana is starting to feel some fatigue down the stretch this year, after amassing 131 2/3 more frames in his 14th Major League season. It should be noted that Quintana didn’t sign with the Brewers until early March, and his season debut was held off until April 11 so the lefty could spend more time in extended Spring Training to make up for lost time in camp.
A calf injury now throws another wrench into the equation, leaving Quintana’s readiness in doubt for Milwaukee’s playoff roster. The Brewers have already clinched a postseason berth, are on the verge of clinching the NL Central title, and are on pace to claim a first-round bye, even if the Phillies remain in hot pursuit of the Brew Crew for the National League’s top seed. This gives the Brewers some flexibility and time to figure out their playoff pitching plans, and it may give Quintana more time to heal up if he does have to hit the injured list.
Given both his recent struggles and the Brewers’ list of other rotation options, Quintana was probably headed to a relief role in October anyway. Freddy Peralta, Quinn Priester, Brandon Woodruff, and Jacob Misiorowski look to be Milwaukee’s top rotation options for the postseason, and Chad Patrick may also be ahead of Quintana on the rotation depth chart. Quintana has a 3.96 ERA over his 131 2/3 innings this season, but with a host of subpar Statcast numbers, indicating that Quintana is getting a lot of help from his .259 BABIP.
Cashman: Yankees “Believe In” Anthony Volpe Despite “Tough Stretch”
Anthony Volpe‘s underwhelming season has made the shortstop a topic of controversy in the Bronx, and more attention was generated this week when it was revealed that Volpe has been playing with a small tear in his left shoulder labrum since May 3. Trying to play through this shoulder problem has clearly impacted Volpe’s performance — not only has he hit .197/.248/.378 in 418 plate appearances since suffering the injury, Volpe’s formerly excellent defense has drastically fallen off.
Speaking with ESPN’s Jorge Castillo and other reporters on Friday, Yankees GM Brian Cashman noted Volpe’s “tough stretch” and said that “this isn’t the season we expected or he expected.” That said, Cashman gave a vote of confidence to Volpe, saying that the 2025 season “doesn’t change our viewpoint of what he’s capable of,” and that he is still the Yankees’ choice at shortstop going forward.
“He’s someone that we can count on and we believe in….I think he’s a really talented guy and I think he has a chance to be a positive impact, obviously,” Cashman said.
Volpe was hitting significantly better (.239/.333/.453) in his first 135 plate appearances of the season pre-injury, so it could be that his labrum tear prevented a potential breakout year. Still, Volpe’s full-season numbers aren’t far off the .228/.288/.373 slash line he posted over 1290 PA in his first two Major League seasons, so it isn’t as if struggles at the plate are a new problem for the 24-year-old.
Outsized expectations have followed Volpe ever since his emergence as one of baseball’s top prospects, and the Yankees’ decision to debut him as their Opening Day shortstop in 2023. While the team itself has always been quick to downplay the “next Derek Jeter” hype, the Yankees’ immediate installation of Volpe in an everyday role has stood in stark contrast to the club’s more infrequent usage of most other top minor leaguers in recent years. If anything, Volpe’s critics are sure to argue that Cashman’s continued confidence in Volpe is part of the problem, and that the Yankees should be more open to upgrading at shortstop.
While Cashman has made some rather blunt critiques of other New York players in the past, it only makes sense for the GM to continue his public support of Volpe, and there isn’t any reason to yet suspect that the Yankees aren’t viewing Volpe’s rough year as anything but a by-product of his shoulder injury. Since Volpe is only entering arbitration eligibility this coming offseason, his three remaining years of pretty inexpensive team control make him an intriguing asset on a team loaded with big salaries and a hefty luxury tax bill. If Volpe is able to get healthy and break out as, in Cashman’s words, “a quality, above-average regular shortstop in the game,” that’s a major boost for the Yankees on every front.
Still, finding another inexpensive shortstop candidate could change the equation, and one such player may have already been found in Jose Caballero. Acquired from the Rays at the trade deadline, Caballero has hit .263/.358/.439 in 68 PA in the pinstripes, which far and away represents the best offensive stretch of his three MLB seasons. The utilityman has also pitched in at both corner outfield slots, second base, and third base, but most of Caballero’s time has come at shortstop in the wake of Volpe’s increased missed time.
Volpe hasn’t played since Tuesday after receiving a cortisone shot in his ailing shoulder, paving the way for Caballero to step into regular shortstop duty. Boone told Castillo and company that “we’ll see” about who plays shortstop when Volpe is ready to return, which hints that the Yankees could be considering a timeshare at the position.
The longer-term issue of Volpe’s health is also a lingering question. Cashman said more will be known once Volpe receives more tests, and while the GM “wouldn’t rule…out” an offseason surgery, “as of right now, there’s no surgery recommended. There’s not even an IL recommended.” Should Volpe indeed end up going under the knife, he’d very likely miss some time and perhaps an extended amount of the 2026 season, leaving the Yankees in need of another shortstop.
Giants Place Dominic Smith On Injured List
5:23pm: Smith has officially been placed on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. Outfielder Jerar Encarnacion was recalled to the roster in a corresponding move.
2:24pm: Patrick Bailey‘s walkoff grand slam gave San Francisco a memorable 5-1 win over the Dodgers yesterday, but it wasn’t an entirely perfect night for the surging Giants. First baseman Dominic Smith had to make an early exit in the fourth inning after suffering a thigh strain, and manager Bob Melvin said postgame that Smith would undergo an MRI.
“Usually those things are a little bit tougher, but I think it’s higher [on his hamstring], which is a little bit better. We’re not sure where it’s going to go,” Melvin told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters, before praising Smith’s determination in completing the play that led to his injury.
Matt Chapman made a diving stop of an Andy Pages grounder in the top of the fourth, and then rocketed a throw across the diamond that was aimed just a bit short of first base. However, Smith made a big stretch to snag the throw just before Pages hit the bag, and the inning-ending out was upheld after a replay challenge from the Dodgers. Smith was in obvious discomfort after making the play, and Wilmer Flores pinch-hit for Smith in the bottom half of the fourth.
2025 has been a resurgent season for Smith, who hit only .241/.311/.360 over 1538 plate appearances with four different teams from 2021-24. Starting this year on a pair of minor league contracts with the Yankees, Smith didn’t receive a call-up, and triggered an opt-out clause to re-enter free agency in June, with the Giants quickly signing the first baseman to a Major League deal.
The result has been a .284/.333/.417 slash line across 225 plate appearances for Smith in a San Francisco uniform. A .329 BABIP has helped Smith overcome some uninspiring hard contact numbers, but Smith has been making a lot of contact (18.7% strikeout rate) in general. The majority of his playing time has come against right-handed pitching, as the Giants utilized the lefty-swinging Smith in a first base platoon initially with Flores.
Rafael Devers‘ emergence as a first baseman didn’t knock Smith out of the lineup, and Flores has increasingly been the odd man out with Devers and Smith splitting time between the first base and DH slots. Should Smith have to miss time on the injured list, Flores is the most logical candidate to step into his role.
Smith’s signing didn’t draw much buzz back in June, yet in classic “you just never know” fashion, his health may play a significant factor in the playoff race. The red-hot Giants have won 14 of their 18 games and the Mets are on a seven-game losing streak, leaving San Francisco just a half-game behind New York for the final NL wild card slot. With things finally clicking for the Giants, the last thing they need is an injury to a player who has become a lineup staple.
Red Sox Shut Down Liam Hendriks Due To Forearm Tightness
1:28PM: Hendriks told reporters (including Tim Healey) that he “very much” wants to keep playing in 2026, referencing his Tommy John surgery by noting that “I got a new elbow for a reason.”
12:46PM: Liam Hendriks‘ long stint on the injured list has now been extended by forearm tightness, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey and other reporters. This setback has halted Hendriks’ throwing and has likely ended his season after 14 games and 13 2/3 innings at the big league level.
Forearm issues aren’t a good sign for a pitcher who missed all of the 2024 season due to a Tommy John surgery, but for now this bout of tightness represents just the latest in a series of injuries that has led to another virtual lost year for Hendriks. He developed elbow soreness during Spring Training that delayed the start of his 2025 campaign, and Hendriks hasn’t pitched since the end of May due to hip inflammation and an abdominal strain.
In between those two stints on the IL, Hendriks posted a 6.59 ERA over his 13 2/3 frames for Boston. Since the start of the 2023 season, Hendriks has thrown only 18 2/3 total Major League innings with the White Sox and Red Sox, with a 6.27 ERA to show for those 19 games. Hendriks returned from a battle with cancer in the early part of the 2023 campaign, before elbow problems surfaced and resulted in his TJ procedure.
The Red Sox signed Hendriks to a backloaded two-year, $10MM contract in the 2024 offseason, with the idea that Hendriks would likely miss 2024 rehabbing and then return healthy and ready to contribute this year. Unfortunately, it now looks like the reliever’s tenure in Boston will end after just 14 games. Hendriks’ contract has a $12MM mutual option for 2026 that will naturally be declined, so Hendriks will receive a $2MM buyout and re-enter free agency.
Since Hendriks turns 37 in February, it is fair to wonder if retirement could be in the cards after all the tumult of his last three seasons. That said, Hendriks surely doesn’t want to go out on a low note, and was so intent on making it back before 2025 was over that it seems likely he’ll seek out a minor league contract this winter, unless this forearm tightness develops into something more serious.
Red Sox Sign John Brebbia To Minor League Contract
The Red Sox have signed right-hander John Brebbia to a minor league deal, according to NESN’s Tom Caron. Brebbia wasn’t on the open market for long, as it was just two days ago that he elected free agency rather than an accept an outright assignment to the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate.
The signing is a homecoming for Brebbia, who was born in Boston and grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts. Perhaps the return to familiar surroundings will help turn around what has been a difficult year for Brebbia, who has a 7.71 ERA over 23 1/3 combined innings with the Tigers and Braves.
After inking a one-year, $2.75MM free agent deal with Detroit, Brebbia was designated for assignment and subsequently released in June after struggling badly over 19 appearances in a Tigers uniform. The Braves inked him to a minors deal shortly thereafter and selected his contract to the majors at the end of August, but Brebbia had a 7.71 ERA in 4 2/3 innings and three games. Atlanta designated Brebbia for assignment earlier this week, and (unsurprisingly) he cleared waivers, resulting in Brebbia opting for free agency.
Since the Tigers are responsible for the bulk of Brebbia’s remaining salary, the Red Sox will owe him only the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary for any time the reliever might spend on Boston’s active roster. (Brebbia’s contract also includes a $4MM club option for 2026, yet that option is sure to be declined.) Because he is joining the organization after August 31, Brebbia isn’t eligible for postseason play.
For the cost of next to nothing, the Red Sox aren’t risking much in bringing Brebbia aboard as a depth arm for the remainder of September. A big spike in home run rate has led to a lot of struggles for Brebbia over the last two seasons, but he was a mostly effective bullpen arm earlier in his career with the Cardinals and Giants. There’s not a ton of time left in 2025 to see if Brebbia can get things turned around, but if nothing else, his time in the Sox organization could serve as an audition for another minor league deal this winter.
Rays Select Garrett Acton
The Rays announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Garrett Acton. Righty Eric Orze was optioned to Triple-A Durham to create room on the 28-man roster, and outfielder Jonny DeLuca was moved to the 60-day injured list to create space for Acton on the 40-man roster.
Acton made his Major League debut in less than stellar fashion with the A’s in 2023, as the 27-year-old was rocked for a 12.71 ERA over six games and 5 2/3 innings of work. Acton allowed three home runs in that brief sample, and issued an equal number of walks and strikeouts (five apiece). Any attempts at a follow-up were then put on hold by a Tommy John surgery, which kept Acton from any game action at either the major or minor league levels in 2024.
Released by the A’s in June 2023, Acton landed with the Rays on a two-year minor league deal the following offseason, with the understanding that Acton would spend all of 2024 recuperating. He got back to the mound this year and has looked pretty sharp, posting a 3.64 ERA, 30.7% strikeout rate, and an 11.0% walk rate that is on the high side. The velocity isn’t all the way back, as Acton’s fastball is averaging 93.7 mph this year after clocking in at 95.3mph during his brief stint in the Show in 2023.
Acton’s homer rate is a respectable 8.6% this season in Durham, which is a career best for an extreme fly-ball pitcher. Acton’s attempts to keep the ball in the park will be immediately tested this weekend in Wrigley Field against a powerful Cubs lineup, and his promotion represents the Rays’ need for a fresh arm in the bullpen. Tampa Bay used five relievers (including Orze) in yesterday’s 6-4 loss to the Cubs, since starter Shane Baz was chased in the third inning.
DeLuca’s 2025 season has now officially been ended with the move from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. The outfielder was first sidelined by a left hamstring strain back on August 7, and seemed to be working his way back on a Triple-A rehab assignment before suffering a quad strain earlier this week.
This is unfortunately DeLuca’s second trip to the 60-day IL in 2025. An April shoulder strain that was initially expected to keep DeLuca out for 2-4 weeks ended up keeping him off the Rays’ roster for over 3.5 months. DeLuca’s lost year will end with just 20 big league games, though he did hit well (.333/.356/.456 in 59 plate appearances) when he was able to play.
Guardians Notes: Brito, Bazzana, Thomas
Juan Brito‘s injury-ravaged season has come to an early end, as the Guardians announced yesterday that the infield prospect would be undergoing surgery to fix his damaged left hamstring. The procedure has a recovery timeline of 8-12 weeks, so Brito should be ready for the start of Spring Training.
This marks the second major surgery of Brito’s 2025 campaign, as he missed close to two months recovering from thumb surgery. Returning to action with Triple-A Columbus near the end of June, he appeared in just eight more games with the Clippers before being sidelined again by a left hamstring strain. Brito had resumed baseball activities a few weeks ago, but seemingly with little progress, so the decision was made to fully address the injury with surgery.
Brito will conclude his season with just 31 games played — 24 in Triple-A ball, and seven on a rehab assignment with the Guardians’ rookie league affiliate. He still hit well (.256/.357/.463) over his 99 plate appearances in Columbus, yet that isn’t much consolation given that Brito posted similar numbers over a full Triple-A season in 2024, and looked set to make his big league debut this year.
There was even some chatter last spring about Brito potentially breaking camp with the Guardians and earning at least a platoon role at second base. Cleveland instead optioned him to Triple-A before Opening Day, and while Brito’s injuries perhaps made the team’s decision a moot point, the keystone has been a weak spot for the Guardians. The team’s second basemen (Daniel Schneemann, Brayan Rocchio, Angel Martinez, Gabriel Arias, and Will Wilson) have combined for 0.6 bWAR, ranking the Guards 23rd of 30 teams in second base bWAR.
Going into 2026, the hope is that Brito (who turns 24 later this month) will be healthy and ready to rebound after his lost year. Acquired from the Rockies in the Nolan Jones trade three years ago, Brito has posted good offensive numbers during his rise up the ranks of Cleveland’s farm system. Evaluators aren’t sure if his glove necessarily plays anywhere, but even a bat-first type of infielder might help a Guardians team still struggling for consistent offense.
Brito has already exhausted his number of minor league option years, so for now, he’ll be officially out of options heading into 2026. Since the league can grant a fourth option year to players whose careers have been stalled by injury, however, it seems quite likely that Brito will get that bonus option given how little he played in 2025.
Turning to the top name in the Guards’ minor league system, Travis Bazzana may be facing another oblique issue. Bazzana was removed from Thursday’s Triple-A game due to left oblique soreness, and there hasn’t yet been an update on his status. This injury comes on the heels of a right oblique strain in May that ended up costing Bazzana a little over two months of the Double-A season.
The first overall pick of the 2024 draft has started his pro career in impressive fashion, already advancing to Triple-A ball and hitting .225/.420/.438 over his first 120 PA with Columbus. As much as some Cleveland fans were hoping Bazzana might provide the big league team with a boost during the playoff push, there probably wasn’t much chance the Guardians were going to call Bazzana up even before Thursday’s injury scare. That said, Bazzana’s quick rise through the minors has certainly put him on the radar for 2026, and he might now be the second base prospect under consideration for an Opening Day assignment.
Speaking of injury-marred seasons, Lane Thomas has played in only 39 games for the Guardians due to three different IL stints. The first IL trip was due to a bone bruise in his right wrist, and the latter two have been as a result of Thomas’ ongoing battle with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The outfielder has been on the 10-day injured list since early July, and he played in three rehab games with Double-A Akron earlier in September before he was sidelined again with more foot soreness.
The next step might be surgery, as Thomas told The Athletic’s Zack Meisel and other reporters that he will speak with a foot specialist this coming week to decide on how to best treat the injury. Should Thomas go under the knife, he’d need a three-month recovery period. This timeline would leave him ready to go for the start of spring camp, yet a surgery would add another complication to what will already be a tricky ride through the free agent market for the 30-year-old.
It was less than two years ago that Thomas hit 28 homers as the everyday right fielder for the 2023 Nationals, but his production has dropped sharply since that career year. His bat particularly cooled off after he was dealt to the Guards at last year’s trade deadline, and his nightmare of a 2025 season has seen Thomas hit just .160/.246/.272 over 142 PA.
Teams will want to ensure Thomas is healthy before signing him to any sort of contract, so he’ll probably have to complete his rehab before his market gathers any kind of momentum. At best he’ll receive a one-year deal with a modest guaranteed salary, and it is certainly possible Thomas may have to settle for a minor league deal. Thomas told Meisel and company that he would welcome a return to Cleveland, and since the Guardians will be looking for outfield help anyway, the team might be open to bringing Thomas back on a low-cost deal.
Cardinals Release Garrett Hampson
The Cardinals released Garrett Hampson, according to the utilityman’s MLB.com profile page. Hampson was designated for assignment earlier this week, and while he had the option of declining an outright assignment in favor of free agency, it appears the Cards just streamlined by the process with a release as soon as Hampson cleared waivers.
It is possible Hampson could sign elsewhere before the 2025 season ends, should a team want some versatile depth in the minors or on a big league bench. However, Hampson has rarely brought much with his bat during his eight Major League seasons, and his offense has sunk to a career-worst .143/.250/.169 over 91 plate appearances in 2025.
The nomadic nature of Hampton’s season didn’t help him get into any kind of groove at the dish. Beginning the season on a minor league contract with the Diamondbacks, he was released for the first time this year in May after appearing in 18 MLB games for Arizona. A stint in Cincinnati didn’t go any better, as the Reds designated Hampson for assignment after about a month, but St. Louis then claimed Hampson off waivers near the end of June.
The release officially ends Hampson’s Cards tenure at 35 games, and he has gotten into 62 contests as a whole this year spread over his three different teams. This marks the least amount of action Hampson has received during a regulation-length MLB season since his 2018 rookie year, when he debuted with 24 games with the Rockies. His ability to play all over the diamond should keep getting Hampson looks on minor league contracts, even if it may be hard for him to escape the proverbial “last man on the roster” status.
Red Sox Place Brennan Bernardino On 15-Day Injured List
Prior to yesterday’s game, the Red Sox placed left-hander Brennan Bernardino on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to September 10) due to a left lat strain. Southpaw Chris Murphy was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Murphy tossed a scoreless inning in Friday’s 4-1 Sox loss to the Yankees.
Bernardino hasn’t pitched since September 6, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) that the injury only arose this past Wednesday in the final game of Boston’s series with the Athletics. “Playing catch the last day in Sacramento, [he] felt something grab him below the shoulder, so he had an MRI yesterday,” Cora said.
The severity of the strain wasn’t specified, and it isn’t known if Bernardino will be able to make it back before the end of the regular season. Given the backdated placement, the earliest the lefty could be activated is September 25, which would make him available for Boston’s final four games of the schedule.
The larger question, of course, is whether Bernardino’s status could be in question for a first-round playoff roster, should the Red Sox clinch at least a wild card berth. While Bernardino hasn’t pitched many high-leverage innings this year, the Sox naturally want as many healthy arms as possible when deciding their optimal October roster.
Bernardino has a strong 3.14 ERA over 51 2/3 frames for the Sox in 2025, but a 4.50 SIERA indicates some red flags behind that excellent bottom-line result. Between his .252 BABIP and his ability to induce soft contact, Bernardino’s ability to keep the ball on the ground (49.7% grounder rate) has again been his biggest strength. However, Bernardino’s 19.2% strikeout rate is well below average, and his 11.6% walk rate is only in the sixth percentile of all pitchers. The left-hander has battled control problems in the past, yet his strikeout rate has been steadily declining over his three full Major League seasons.
Trea Turner To Undergo MRI Due To Hamstring Strain
4:17pm: Turner is slated to undergo an MRI tomorrow, according to a report from Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Turner told reporters (including Lauber) that he hopes his current ailment proves to be milder than the hamstring strain he suffered last year that sidelined him for six weeks, but an exact timeline won’t be known until his test results come back.
2:58pm: Phillies shortstop Trea Turner made an early departure during the seventh inning of today’s game with the Marlins due to what the Phils announced as a right hamstring strain. A throwing error from Miami shortstop Otto Lopez allowed Turner to reach base, but Turner immediately left the field and headed into the Phils’ dugout, and was replaced by pinch-runner Edmundo Sosa.
Manager Rob Thomson will provide more of an update in his postgame meeting with reporters, but it surely looks like Turner is heading for the injured list. The only question now is the severity of the strain, and whether or not Turner’s availability for the playoffs is now in question. Philadelphia entered today’s action with a healthy seven-game lead in the NL East, and with the second-best record of the division leaders, the Phillies would receive a first-round bye if the postseason began today. Securing the bye gains even greater importance for the Phils if Turner needs a few more days to recover.
Losing Turner would be another huge blow to a Phillies roster that will already be without ace Zack Wheeler for the playoff run. Turner has been not just Philadelphia’s best all-around player but one of the top players in all of baseball in 2025 — his 6.5 fWAR ranks fourth in the league, topped only by Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, and Bobby Witt Jr.
Turner launched his 15th home run of the season today, and the shortstop is now hitting .305/.356/.458 over 637 plate appearances. On top of his 125 wRC+ and 36 stolen bases (in 43 attempts), perhaps the biggest story of Turner’s season is his enormously improved glovework. After posting subpar defensive metrics across the board in 2023-24, Turner has quieted whispers about a possible move to the outfield by delivering +16 Outs Above Average and +2 Defensive Runs Saved from the shortstop position.
Durability has also been a big part of Turner’s production, as he has missed just three of Philadelphia’s games all season. Sosa is the only other player who has gotten any time at shortstop this year, and while the utilityman is a decent replacement, naturally he brings a lot less than Turner in terms of overall productivity. Bryson Stott could also handle some shortstop in a pinch, and Otto Kemp could be called up from the minors to then provide more infield depth if Sosa is taking on more of an everyday role. Star shortstop prospect Aidan Miller is having a big season at Double-A, but it doesn’t seem too likely that the Phils would have Miller bypass Triple-A and toss him into the pressurized environment of a pennant race.
The pickings are slim in terms of external help, as any player acquired off a big league roster isn’t eligible for postseason play. The Phillies can only trade for minor leaguers who haven’t yet appeared either in the Show or on a 40-man roster in 2025, or they can pick up players via the waiver wire. If a team wants to shed some money off the books by designating a shortstop for assignment, the Phils might be more inclined to make a claim if Turner will miss significant time.