The Philadelphia Phillies aren’t ready to rule out slugger Rhys Hoskins returning for a postseason run after he tore his left ACL late in Spring Training, but it sounds as though if it’s going to happen, it would be a Kyle Schwabrer-esque World Series comeback.
So don’t expect to see Hoskins in the lineup for next week’s Wild Card Series, assuming the Phillies do indeed punch their ticket to the postseason at some point in the coming days. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is down to one, so it appears to be a matter of when, not if.
As for Hoskins, he took batting practice on the field at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday, with Thomson encouraged by an increase in power shown today. He estimated that Hoskins hit “seven or eight” home runs in BP today. Hoskins is taking 75-80 swings every day currently.
As Hoskins progresses, is there a round that the Phillies would need to get to for the 30-year-old to be in play?
“I think we’re looking more towards the World Series, if we were to get there,” Thomson said.
If Hoskins were to come back for the World Series, it would be a remarkably similar story to Schwarber in 2016 with the Chicago Cubs. Schwarber tore his left ACL and LCL on April 7, 2016, and ultimately was able to return and hit .412 in 17 at-bats during a classic World Series matchup with Cleveland. Hoskins tore his ACL on March 23, and underwent surgery to repair it on March 30, which was Opening Day.
Even if Hoskins returned as just a DH and/or pinch hitter, his presence would give the Phillies quite an emotional boost. And despite hitting just .159 during the playoffs last year, Hoskins homered six times and drove in 12 runs. If the Phillies have Hoskins available at any point this October, he could very well change the season with one swing.
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