Logan O’Hoppe, the Phillies’ top position player prospect around this time last year, is off to a fantastic start.
O’Hoppe, who was acquired by the Los Angeles Angels from the Phillies in exchange for Brandon Marsh at last year’s trade deadline, is slashing .283/.339/.547 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 59 plate appearances in 2023. He was catching Shohei Ohtani and establishing himself as one of the more important pieces on the Angels’ roster.
Unfortunately for O’Hoppe, he’ll have to wait months to resume his rookie campaign. It’s possible he could miss the remainder of 2023. According to multiple reports, he’ll be out four-to-six months with a labrum tear in his left shoulder.
O’Hoppe suffered the injury on a swing in a game against the Yankees, his hometown team, on April 20. He went down to the ground in pain and was removed from the game.
The Phillies selected O’Hoppe in the 23rd round of the MLB draft in 2018. Baseball America had him as the sixth-best Phillies prospect prior to 2022, but he quickly rose through the rankings following a breakout campaign with Double-A Reading.
He was going to be a starting catcher in the big leagues, but it wasn’t going to be with the Phillies since J.T. Realmuto is signed through 2025. Philadelphia ended up trading him at the deadline for Marsh, a former top center field prospect who struggled at the plate to begin his career.
The trade looks like a solid win-win for both clubs. Both O’Hoppe and Marsh were on track to have very productive seasons with their respective clubs, but it’s going to be a while until O’Hoppe sees the field again.