Hoskins, Realmuto likely to undergo MRIs

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins and catcher J.T. Realmuto are both likely to undergo MRI testing for their injuries that kept them out of Sunday afternoon’s doubleheader against the Miami Marlins, according to their manager.

“They’re probably both going to have MRIs so we can define a little bit better what’s going on for both of them,” first-year Phillies manager Joe Girardi said after the Phillies lost both games at Marlins Park. “We hope those take place tomorrow.”

Both Hoskins and Realmuto suffered their injuries on Saturday night. Hoskins hurt his left forearm on an attempted swipe tag on a throw that strayed too close to the first-base line. Realmuto left Saturday’s game early with a hip injury.

Girardi said that it was possible that these players could end up on the injured list, but was hopeful that more testing could tell the team whether or not that will be necessary.

“It’s a real concern any time anyone gets an MRI,” he said. “But we want to get an idea of exactly what’s going on, and give us a better way of treating it and knowing how long to expect they’re going to be out.”

Hoskins, who had an X-ray that came back negative, seemed optimistic on Sunday that he could play on Monday if his forearm is feeling good.

“I think that the plan tomorrow is to reevaluate based on how I feel when I wake up,” Hoskins said.

He said that getting his grip strength back would be “the big test.” He would need to see improvement on his grip strength in order to be back in the lineup Monday.

With Realmuto going down, the Phillies called up catching prospect Rafael Marchan. Primary backup Andrew Knapp will see most of the playing time until Realmuto returns.

Hoskins and Realmuto are both significant pieces of this Phillies team and offense, posting OPS numbers of .887 and .883 respectively so far this season. With the Phillies sitting at 23-22 and still looking to clinch their first playoff appearance since 2011, getting these players back is super important.

Still, Hoskins said that the team is confident in its abilities, even with some starters missing time.

“It’s frustrating. We’ve done a lot of work and felt like we’ve put ourselves in a good position to get back to the playoffs,” he said. “But, the good thing about this clubhouse is that there’s a lot of guys in there that are ready. … I think everyone in that clubhouse is confident in whoever steps on that field and that we can still get into the playoffs.”

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