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Trea Turner off Saturday as Phillies try to get $300 million star right

Trea Turner is in his first season with the Phillies. (Cheryl Pursell)

Despite Trea Turner’s desire to play his way out of a rough patch, Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson made the decision to give the struggling shortstop a day off Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

The plan is for Turner to be back in the lineup for Sunday’s series finale, but Edmundo Sosa will shift to shortstop Saturday afternoon, with Alec Bohm at third base and Kody Clemens at first base.

“Just to give him a little break,” Thomson said of why Turner is off Saturday. “He can do some work with [hitting coach] Kevin [Long] in the cage. We were supposed to do it on the field, but [he’ll] just get some extra work, take a day.”

After going 0-for-4 in an ugly loss Friday evening, Turner is slashing .257/.302/.390 with a .692 OPS. For the average shortstop, that’s not terrible production. But for someone with a batting title on his resume that’s in the first year of an 11-year/$300 million deal, it’s underwhelming.

What’s more, while Turner has never been a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop and his outs above average (two) paint a better picture, most would say the 29-year-old has struggled defensively in 2023. Turner has -3 defensive runs saved in 368 1/3 innings at shortstop, and he made his sixth error of the season Friday.

“I think he’s played OK,” Thomson said of Turner’s defensive production. “I think sometimes the offense goes to your defense, and it’s just natural. But I think he’s played OK.”

Thomson has been around his fair share of players playing in their first seasons of major contracts. Nick Castellanos has been open about the struggles he had adjusting

to a new team during a disappointing first year from an individual sense in 2022. Bryce Harper hit .253 in his first half as a Phillie.

So is it normal for a player to press after signing a major contract?

“Yes, it is,” Thomson said. “And it’s not just the contract, it’s the fanbase … it’s your teammates … it’s everything. So I think it’s a natural thing, and he’ll come out of it.”

Is there anything Thomson can do to help expedite the process of the star version of Turner returning?

“Keep playing him, except for today,” Thomson said with a smile.

Phillies Starting Rotation Update

Taijuan Walker will start Sunday for the Phillies on three-day’s rest. Walker pitched just 2/3 of an inning Wednesday in San Francisco, so all parties involved believe he isn’t putting his health at any risk by returning to make his next start so quickly.

Zack Wheeler will pitch Monday evening against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which means that the fifth spot in the starting rotation — previously occupied by Bailey Falter — has been pushed back until Tuesday.

Cristopher Sánchez last pitched Wednesday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Given that he’s on the 40-man roster, he would be the guess here to either be the starter or bulk option Tuesday.