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Rhys Hoskins

NL East Notes: Hoskins, Rosario, Mauricio, Vientos

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Rhys Hoskins underwent a meniscectomy on his right knee in December, Phillies manager Rob Thomson told Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer and other reporters.  The relatively minor procedure corrected some “wear and tear,” Thomson said, and Hoskins is expected to make his in-game spring debut sometime this week.

Now entering his age-30 season, Hoskins has been a quality hitter pretty much from day one in Philadelphia, hitting .242/.353/.492 with 148 home runs and producing a 125 wRC+ over 2877 career plate appearances in six MLB seasons.  Hoskins would naturally love to keep that production going in order to help the Phillies’ chances at returning to the World Series, but a big 2023 campaign would also help Hoskins as he enters free agency next winter.  The Phils already have a lot of long-term money on the books and might soon add another pricey deal if they reach an extension with Aaron Nola (another pending free agent), but it stands to reason that the club would also have some interest in locking Hoskins up to an extension.  That said, Boras Corporation clients like Hoskins usually end up testing the open market, and the Phillies might have some reservations about committing a long-term deal to a first base-only player.

More from around the NL East…

  • Eddie Rosario followed up his 2021 NLCS MVP performance with a dismal 2022 season, as the outfielder hit only .212/.259/.328 over 270 plate appearances with the Braves.  Vision problems were the root cause of Rosario’s struggles, as Rosario started to have trouble seeing the ball during last year’s Spring Training, and he still needed some adjustment time even after undergoing laser surgery and missing over two months of the season.  Fortunately, “everything is good now. I feel really good and I see really well,” Rosario told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, and both manager Brian Snitker and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer have been impressed by Rosario’s seeming return to his old form early in camp.  A revived Rosario would instantly solve the Braves’ question mark in left field, and provide a nice boost to an Atlanta team that is hoping to compete for another world championship.  2023 is the final guaranteed season of Rosario’s two-year, $18MM deal with Atlanta, though the Braves hold a $9MM club option on the veteran for the 2024 campaign.
  • The Mets will use Ronny Mauricio at shortstop and Mark Vientos as a corner infielder this spring, rather than continue to audition the prospects at different positions.  MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes that plans might change in the future, and some obvious roadblocks (i.e. Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Eduardo Escobar, and fellow prospect Brett Baty) seem to be preventing Mauricio or Vientos from playing their regular positions at the big league level.  Of course, it is always possible that the win-now Mets might look to move either Mauricio or Vientos for a proven Major Leaguer, though New York has thus far been pretty resistant about moving too many top-tier prospects for immediate help.

Phillies Notes: Harper, Outfield, Nola

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Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently made an appearance on Philadelphia radio station WIP-FM, with Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relaying some of his comments on Twitter.

One key storyline for the Phillies this year will revolve around Bryce Harper. The star outfielder was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in May of last year, which prevented him from throwing but allowed him to serve as the designated hitter. His continued presence in the lineup helped the club earn a Wild Card berth and eventually make it all the way to the World Series. After that, he did finally undergo Tommy John surgery in November, with the club announcing at that time they expected him to be out until the around the All-Star break.

Everything with that plan still seems to be in order, with Dombrowski saying that Harper’s rehab has gone well up to this point. Harper is expected to start swinging a bat around the end of March and could be back in the lineup around the time of the All-Star festivities, as initially projected.

One fallout of that Harper situation is that the Phils will have an open designated hitter slot for the first half but Harper will take it over once he’s able. The club could theoretically look outside the organization to find another bat to fill the void, but they apparently feel good enough about their internal candidates that Dombrowski doesn’t anticipate a “big acquisition”. He listed Alec Bohm, Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto as candidates to take over some time in that slot.

Bohm and Hoskins are set to man the corners in Philly just as they’ve done in previous seasons. However, neither is considered an especially strong defender. Bohm has logged 2,280 2/3 innings at third base in his career but has accumulated -36 Defensive Runs Saved, -11 Outs Above Average and a -2.8 score from Ultimate Zone Rating. Hoskins, meanwhile, has 4,195 innings at first base with -7 DRS, -12 OAA, though a positive 5.4 score from UZR. Backup infielders Kody Clemens, Edmundo Sosa and Dalton Guthrie could get some extra time in the field while Bohm and Hoskins get some DH at-bats. Clemens has played both corners and second base in the majors thus far while Sosa has played the three positions to the left of first base and Guthrie has played second and third. Realmuto is considered an excellent defender but catchers can’t crouch behind the plate every day. Since he’s also a great hitter, it makes sense to use the DH spot to get him into the lineup more frequently.

In the outfield, the everyday regulars figure to be Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh. Neither Castellanos or Schwarber are considered great defenders on the grass, which would make them DH candidates as well. Even if that does end up coming to pass, Dombrowski feels good about the depth they have, mentioning Guthrie and Jake Cave. Given they feel good about their depth options, Dombrowski says they’re “basically set” while adding that further depth could always be added via a minor league deal.

Looking to the future, the Phillies have a great unknown in their rotation since Aaron Nola is now in the final year of his contract. “It’s something we’d like to do,” Dombrowski said about a Nola extension. “We want Aaron to be in the organization for a long time, no question. We love him. We love his abilities. I know he likes it in Philadelphia. So that’s something that will be in our mind… It’s never easy to be able to get done but we’d love to keep Aaron in the organization for a long time.”

Nola, 30 in June, is about to begin his ninth MLB season and so far has a 3.60 ERA through 1,288 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 27.5% of batters faced while walking 6.5% of them, and he’s kept the ball on the ground at a 47.9% clip. Since his 2015 debut, his 29.9 fWAR is the sixth-most of any pitcher in the league. It’s no surprise then that the club would like to keep him around, since he’s one of the few true aces in the league. Of course, that excellent work also means he won’t be cheap. Some recent free agent deals for excellent starting pitchers have gone well into nine-figure territory, with Jacob deGrom recently getting $185MM and Carlos Rodón $162MM. It doesn’t sound like anything is particularly close between Nola and the Phillies, but if they truly want him back for next year and beyond, it will surely require adding another hefty contract to their books.

Phillies, Rhys Hoskins Avoid Arbitration

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The Phillies and first baseman Rhys Hoskins have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $12MM contract for 2023, reports Robert Murray of FanSided.

Hoskins, 30 in March, has spent his entire career with the Phillies so far, having been drafted by them in 2014. He is now on the cusp of free agency, however, as this is his final season of club control. During 2023, he will cross six years of service time and qualify for the open market at season’s end.

Since his debut in 2017, he’s established himself as a reliably above-average hitter. He’s hit at least 27 home runs in each season, outside of 10 in the shortened 2020 campaign and 18 in his 50-game debut in 2017. Apart from that debut, his wRC+ has been between 112 and 139 in each season. He has 148 career homers and a batting line of .242/.353/.492 for a wRC+ of 125. He isn’t considered to be an especially strong defender or baserunner, which was kept his wins above replacement from ever topping 2.4, per FanGraphs, but he’s also never been below 2.0 in a full campaign thanks to his reliable offense.

That potent bat pushed his salary up to $4.8MM in 2021, his first time qualifying for arbitration. He got to $7.7MM last year and now $12MM this year, just below the $12.6MM projection from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. The Phillies finally cracked the postseason last year, breaking a decade-long drought and going all the way to the World Series. They have been aggressive in reloading to try to get back there in 2023, with Hoskins likely to be a key part of that in his final season before he’s set to reach the open market. He and the club could always reach an extension that keeps him in Philly beyond the upcoming campaign, but they also have other first base/designated hitter types, such as Darick Hall, Alec Bohm, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos.

Phillies Notes: Harper, Bohm

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An MRI on Bryce Harper’s injured right elbow came back clean, but it will still be a few days before he can take the field again, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. In fact, if it weren’t for the designated hitter now being a part of the National League, Harper would have been placed on the injured list, Gelb notes. He will stay on the roster and in the lineup as the designateted hitter.

With Harper at least temporarily entrenched as the DH, the Phillies’ defense will take a hit with Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos in the outfield corners and Rhys Hoskins at first base. All three players would probably DH in a best-case scenario.

Harper’s injury, though hopefully short-term, highlights a larger roster issue for the Phillies. The outfield trio of Harper, Schwarber, and Castellanos aren’t going anywhere, but the Phillies could look to shake up the roster down the line by moving Hoskins or Alec Bohm. The younger Bohm has struggled defensively at the hot corner, and they could move him to first if they decide to move on from Hoskins, who has one more season of arbitration before free agency.

The club has also considered trading Bohm, however, notes The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. In just 12 games this season, Bohm’s value has already experienced wild swings in both directions. A three-error game at third saw him pushed to the bench for a few games, but in the last couple of days, Bohm’s bat has taken off. Such variance for a young player like Bohm is exactly why finding a trade partner is such a difficult task.

Phillies Select Cam Bedrosian, Ramon Rosso

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The Phillies announced they’ve selected the contracts of relievers Cam Bedrosian and Ramón Rosso. They will take the two additional active roster spots available to teams as part of September expansion. To create space on the 40-man roster, first baseman Rhys Hoskins has been transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list and shortstop Didi Gregorius has been placed on the restricted list.

Bedrosian is back in the majors with his third club of the season. He began the year with the Reds but struggled mightily, leading to his release. He performed far better upon making it back to the majors with the A’s but was squeezed off the roster nonetheless. Between the two teams, Bedrosian has a 5.52 ERA over 14 2/3 innings with disappointing strikeout and walk rates (21.1% and 14.1%, respectively).

That said, Bedrosian was one of the game’s more reliable relievers for much of his time with the Angels before this season. And he’s pitched quite well since latching on with Philadelphia via minor league deal in June. Over twenty innings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Bedrosian has a 2.25 ERA with league average strikeout and walk rates. That’ll earn him another look at the big league level — ironically with the same club with which Bedrosian’s father Steve won the 1987 NL Cy Young award.

Rosso is back after being passed through outright waivers in May. The 25-year-old has worked eleven big league innings over the past couple seasons. He’s spent much of the year with Lehigh Valley, pitching to a 4.50 ERA with underwhelming strikeout and walk numbers over 28 innings.

Hoskins’ IL transfer is entirely procedural. He is out for the season after it was revealed he’d require abdominal surgery last week. Gregorius, meanwhile, is in his native Curacao due to the birth of his child. He has been on the paternity list for the past three days but will apparently need more time away from the club.

Additionally, the Phils announced that reliever Seranthony Domínguez has been reinstated from the 60-day IL and optioned to Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia’s on-time closer, Dominguez hasn’t pitched since 2019 on account of Tommy John surgery. He began a minor league rehab assignment in early August and his 30-day allotted window was closing. Domínguez’s control hasn’t been there during his rehab looks, though, so he’ll get some more minor league time to try to iron things out. The right-hander has a 3.27 ERA over 82 2/3 big league innings.

Rhys Hoskins Done For The Season

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Rhys Hoskins was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier today. Unfortunately, the news has only gotten more dire since then. Speaking to reporters, Hoskins said that he will not play again this season, per Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). He will undergo surgery to repair a tear in his lower abdomen, adds MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki (via Twitter).

Interestingly, the earlier designation for his IL placement was for a groin injury. The abdomen issue was a preexisting injury that Hoskins has been dealing with for some time now. The two injuries in tandem, however, seemed to push the point for Hoskins, leading to the decision to have the surgery now. It’s an unequivocal bummer for Hoskins, who had put together a bounce-back season after a difficult 2020.

Big picture, this is a crushing revelation for the Phillies. They have very little margin for error as they strive to make the postseason for the first time in the Bryce Harper era. It’s been a tough month of August for the Phillies, who were leapfrogged by the Braves for first place in the NL East. Girardi’s club now sits 5.0 games out of first and 5.5 games out of a wild card spot.

All this comes amidst a front office shakeup and the demotion of Alec Bohm, their top prospect and starting third baseman for much of the year. Add in the yo-yo treatment of Spencer Howard’s development before he was dealt to Texas, as well as their wild swings in the standings since the trade deadline, and it all adds up to a rather disjointed situation in Philly, at least in terms of the optics.

Remember, they were 3.5 games behind the Mets at the trade deadline only to go on an 8-game win streak to begin August. They swiftly overtook the Mets for the division lead on August 6th. Their time at the top was short-lived, as they’ve gone just 6-10 in the games since, losing the top spot to surging Atlanta. Less than two weeks after they lost the division lead to the Braves, they sit just barely on the fringes of contention with a 17.6% chance of making the playoffs, per baseball-reference.

Losing Hoskins now adds insult to injury, especially because they’re roster is so thin after the superstars at the top. Hoskins’ 129 wRC+ and 2.4 fWAR were a key piece of scaffolding to the Harper-J.T. Realmuto core. Swapping in Brad Miller’s 93 wRC+ simply doesn’t make up enough ground for a team looking to make up ground. Miller’s going to be the guy, however, because there’s not much else in the organization by way of reinforcements — not unless Bohm can very quickly figure things out in Triple-A.

Phillies Place Rhys Hoskins On Injured List, Designate Chase Anderson

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3:54 PM: Well, it was a short-lived return for Eflin. The Phillies’ right-hander was scratched from his start tonight because of continued knee discomfort, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Philly (via Twitter). Manager Joe Girardi made the announcement not long after Eflin was activated from the injured list. Matt Moore will get the start tonight, and Eflin will presumably be further evaluated.

2:34 PM: The Phillies announced a series of roster moves this afternoon. Starting pitcher Zach Eflin has been activated from the 10-day injured list to start this evening’s game against the Diamondbacks. Also coming back from the 10-day IL is reliever José Alvarado. In corresponding moves, Philadelphia placed first baseman Rhys Hoskins back on the 10-day IL due to a left groin strain and designated right-hander Chase Anderson for assignment.

Eflin has missed around five weeks due to patellar tendinitis in his right knee. That halted a typically-strong campaign for the right-hander, who has a 4.17 ERA over 105 2/3 innings. Eflin doesn’t rack up huge strikeout or ground-ball totals, but he’s one of the sport’s best strike-throwers and a consistent mid-rotation presence. Eflin has posted an ERA between 3.97 and 4.36 in each of the past four seasons.

While the Phils will be thrilled to welcome Eflin back, they’re again losing Hoskins to the IL. The veteran first baseman just returned to the lineup over the weekend after missing two weeks on account of the same left groin strain. Three games later, he winds up back on the shelf. It’s an inopportune time for the Phils to lose one of their best hitters, as they enter play tonight five games back of the Braves in the National League East.

The roster shuffling almost certainly ends Anderson’s time in Philadelphia. The veteran signed a one-year, $4MM guarantee over the offseason with the hope he’d bounce back from a 2020 campaign derailed by home runs. He’s had a rough go of things for the second straight year, though, pitching to a 6.75 ERA over 48 innings between the rotation and long relief. While Anderson’s strikeout rate spiked to a career-best 24.7% last season, it has fallen to a subpar 16.3% mark this year. Anderson’s also walking batters at a career-worst 9.3% clip and he’s continued to struggle keeping the ball in the yard.

Given his lackluster 2021 results, Anderson’s a lock to pass through waivers unclaimed. He has enough service time to become a free agent while collecting the balance of his guaranteed salary. At that point, Anderson should attract interest from other clubs based on his extended pre-2020 body of work as a solid back-of-the-rotation starter.

Phillies Activate Rhys Hoskins, Option Alec Bohm

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The Phillies announced they’ve activated first baseman Rhys Hoskins from the 10-day injured list. Somewhat surprisingly, Philadelphia optioned struggling corner infielder Alec Bohm to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move.

Hoskins is back after a two-week absence due to a left groin strain. He’s starting at first base and hitting fifth in this afternoon’s game against the Padres. Hoskins has hit at his typically productive level this year, slashing .244/.332/.509 with 24 home runs over 434 plate appearances. That kind of offensive production will be welcome for the suddenly slumping Phils, who have gone just 5-8 since he last played on August 5. Coupled with the Braves’ recent tear, the Phillies have fallen five games back in the National League East.

Bohm has been in the majors since Philadelphia selected him to make his debut last August. The former #3 overall pick and top prospect began his career with a flourish, hitting .338/.400/.481 over his first 180 trips to the plate. That earned him a runner-up finish in NL Rookie of the Year award voting.

That strong showing locked Bohm in as the season-opening third baseman in 2021. The Phils no doubt expected more of the same offensive impact from the right-handed hitter, but he’s struggled mightily in his sophomore campaign. Through 407 plate appearances, Bohm is hitting .245/.302/.342 with seven home runs. After adjusting for Philadelphia’s hitter-friendly home park, that production checks in 24 percentage points worse than the league average.

Bohm’s strikeout rate has jumped from 20% last season to a subpar 26.5% in 2021, while his walk rate has dipped slightly. While that’s a discouraging development, the bigger issue is that Bohm’s results on batted balls have nosedived. Bohm was never likely to sustain last season’s .410 batting average on balls in play, so it’s unsurprising his BABIP has dropped to .323 this year. That’s still higher than the .293 league average — reflective of Bohm’s ability to spray hard contact to all fields — but it reinforces that Bohm needs to do more damage from a power standpoint if he’s to be an impactful offensive player.

To this point, he’s shown surprisingly little extra-base thump. It’s not for a lack of strength; Bohm’s 92.4 MPH average exit velocity and 50.2% hard hit rate both check in among the top ten percent of qualified hitters. He’s been unable to hit the ball in the air with consistency, though, negating much of the value that comes with making authoritative contact. Bohm’s 52.8% ground-ball rate is eighth-highest among 119 hitters with 400+ plate appearances. That’s not a good place for a potential power hitter, and he’s the only player in the top ten in ground-ball rate who’s also striking out at a higher than average clip.

If Bohm isn’t hitting well, he’s not providing much in the way of value. Prospect rankers long raised questions about his defensive ability at third base, and the advanced metrics suggest he’s been a below-average defender this season. Ronald Torreyes is a superior gloveman at the hot corner, while utilityman Brad Miller could factor into the third base mix as well while Bohm’s in the minors.

Down 2021 notwithstanding, the Phillies are likely still counting on Bohm to make an impact in the not-too-distant future. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s brought back to the majors in short order, with active rosters set to expand to 28 on September 1. A brief demotion could serve to get Bohm a mental reset without dealing with the pressure of a pennant race.

Today’s option won’t have any effect on Bohm’s path to free agency, but it could impact when he reaches arbitration. He didn’t debut in the majors until too late in the 2020 season to reach a full year of MLB service last year, so he entered 2021 with 128 days of service time. He has banked enough time to reach his first full year of service this season, so he’ll remain on track for free agency after the 2026 campaign. Bohm could plausibly qualify for arbitration after next season as a Super Two player (assuming the Super Two system even survives the new round of collective bargaining negotiations), but a lengthy optional assignment could keep him from reaching arbitration until the 2023-24 offseason.

Injury Notes: Hoskins, Galvis, Boyd, LeBlanc, Kim

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Rhys Hoskins isn’t expected to come off the injured list when first eligible, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The minimum 10-day stint will have elapsed by Tuesday, but Hoskins still hasn’t tested his injured groin by running. The first baseman just received a cortisone injection to try and aid his recovery and is still aiming to be activated at some point this week. Every game is crucial for the Phillies as they are in the thick of a three-team race for the AL East crown. They are currently tied with Atlanta for the top spot, with the Mets just 1 1/2 games behind. Hoskins is having another fine season at the plate, slashing .244/.332/.509, which is 23% better than league average by wRC+.

Salisbury also notes that Freddy Galvis has started taking batting practice and is progressing towards a rehab stint. The infielder was on the injured list with a quad strain when the Orioles traded him to the Phillies before the deadline. Before getting hurt, he was slashing .249/.306/.414. That amounts to a wRC+ of 97, which is below league average but a career high for Galvis. Despite never being a huge offensive threat, he’s long been a valuable contributor because of his excellent glovework.

Other notes from around the league…

  • Matthew Boyd is rehabbing and hoping to return before the end of August, reports Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. The lefty was placed on the IL in mid-June with a triceps issue but now potentially a few weeks away from returning. Boyd has a year of team control remaining before reaching free agency and figures to be an important part of the Tigers’ 2022 rotation as they look to move from rebuilding to contending. If he stays on track with his rehab, he could get more than a month’s worth of work in before the offseason. Prior to the injury, Boyd had an ERA of 3.44 on the year through 70 2/3 innings.
  • Neither Wade LeBlanc nor Kwang Hyun Kim are expected to come off the IL as soon as they are eligible, according to Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, per Jeff Jones of MLB.com. Kim, who has a 3.36 ERA in 91 innings this season, has been out since August 9th with elbow inflammation. LeBlanc, who also is dealing with an elbow issue, has an ERA of 3.61 in 42 1/3 innings for St. Louis this year. However, the rotation just welcomed Jack Flaherty back into the fold and could soon see a return of Miles Mikolas, who is currently on a rehab assignment. The club is currently 4 1/2 games behind a slumping Padres club for the final NL playoff spot, but with three teams in between them.

Phillies Place Rhys Hoskins On Injured List

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The Phillies announced they’ve placed first baseman Rhys Hoskins on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 7, with a left groin strain. Outfielder Mickey Moniak has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his active roster spot.

Hoskins hasn’t played since Friday as he’s battled groin discomfort. There’s no indication the Phils expect he’ll require a particularly lengthy IL stay, but he’s clearly not progressed as quickly as had been hoped. He’ll miss at least another week, as he’s first eligible to return next Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

The Phils have been surging of late, completing sweeps over the Nationals and Mets as part of an active eight-game win streak. That run has pushed them to the top of the National League East, but the Braves and Mets each remain within 2.5 games. It figures to be a tightly contested race between the three clubs, and the Phils will have to navigate a pair of difficult upcoming series — against the Dodgers and Reds — without their starting first baseman.

Hoskins is having another strong season at the dish. The right-handed slugger has been an above-average offensive player in every year of his career. He’s continued the trend with a .240/.332/.509 line (123 wRC+) with 24 home runs over 434 plate appearances in 2021. That’s not too dissimilar from the .239/.366/.495 career mark he carried into the year.

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