Phillies recall Trea Turner replacement as MVP candidate hits injured list

Matt Sullivan

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Phillies recall Trea Turner replacement as MVP candidate hits injured list image

The Philadelphia Phillies were dealt a brutal blow during their loss in the series finale to the Miami Marlins on Sunday, as MVP candidate Trea Turner injured his hamstring running to first.

The fear was a hamstring strain, which would likely land Turner on the injured list and could even keep him out for, at worst, the rest of the 2025 season. The full extent of the injury isn't known, but for now, the Phillies are making a roster move to add Turner's replacement.

According to Destiny Lugardo of Phillies Nation on Twitter/X, the Phillies have a locker in the clubhouse for versatile position player Otto Kemp. His locker indicates that the Phillies have placed Turner on the injured list.

Phillies Place Turner on IL, Add Recall Kemp

Kemp's locker being in the Phillies clubhouse means he's taking the place of someone on the active roster. The day after Turner's injury against the Marlins, the most obvious connection is that Turner is going on the injured list and Kemp is taking his place.

Turner this season was one of the best hitters in the National League and an MVP candidate. While Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers likely would've won, Turner now will likely miss out on such end-of-season accolades due to this injury.

Before this hamstring injury, Turner had 587 at-bats with 179 hits, which led the NL, along with 15 home runs, 31 doubles, seven triples, 69 RBIs, 43 walks, 36 stolen bases, and an NL-leading .305 batting average.

He also has an .815 OPS, the highest it's been in a Phillies uniform. Turner has been a huge part of the team's offense this season, and losing him for an extended period of time will hurt the offense and defense significantly.

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Edmundo Sosa will start in place of Turner at shortstop, while Kemp takes Sosa's spot as the team's backup infielder. Kemp, in his limited action earlier in 2025, had a .228 batting average with four home runs and 17 RBIs in 145 at-bats.

He's an okay bench option, and Sosa's a fine starrer, but compared to Turner, who was likely going to be in the MVP conversation and have a chance to win the NL batting title and reach 200 hits before this injury, it's hard to replace such a player.

The Phillies have already lost Zack Wheeler for the season, and now, Turner could be out for the rest of the year as well. But in the meantime, Kemp is on the active roster to provide more depth for the infield while Turner is hitting the injured list.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.