PHILADELPHIA — (AP) — The good news for Trea Turner and the Phillies is this: Even as the NL batting leader is out with a strained right hamstring that could cost him the rest of the regular season, Philadelphia's shortstop expects to be healthy in time to play in October.
Manager Rob Thomson said before Aaron Nola tossed six shutout innings in a 1-0 win Monday night against the New York Mets the MRI results on Turner's hamstring were "better than expected" and that the injury wasn't as severe as the strained left hamstring that sidelined him for six weeks last season.
Turner, in the third season of an 11-year, $300-million contract, said he was confident he shouldn't need more than the last three weeks of September to get back to full strength.
He can afford to rest.
The Phillies stretched their lead in the NL East to eight games over the Mets, pulling away in a race that seemed to tighten when New York completed a three-game sweep of Philadelphia late last month.
“The playoffs is the most important,” Turner said. “Trying to find that fine line of trying to get ready for that but also not rushing it back, coming back for no reason. Shooting for kind of the playoffs, if not a little bit earlier.”
The Phillies are trying to win their second straight division title and earn the No. 2 seed in the NL playoffs. That would give the Phillies a first-round bye and set up Game 1 of the NLDS on Oct. 4 — at home, possibly with Turner back at the top of the lineup.
Turner left Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Miami Marlins in the seventh inning after running down the first base line.
Turner hit a solo homer in the sixth to narrow Philadelphia’s deficit to 4-2. When his turn came again in the seventh, Turner legged out a grounder and reached on a throwing error by Miami shortstop Otto López.
“I knew I did something,” Turner said. “I didn't know to what extent.”
The 32-year-old leads the National League in both batting average (.305) and hits (179) this season. Turner also had 36 stolen bases.
Without Turner at the top of lineup against the Mets, two-time NL MVP Bryce Harper hit leadoff for the first time since Oct. 4, 2022, and for the 38th time in his career.
“We just talked about it, and it’s something we kind of all wanted to try,” Harper said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
Harper went 0 for 4 and struck out twice against the Mets.
The Phillies also put 2024 All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder injury.
“He’s been grinding with this left shoulder for a while now, fighting through it. It’s probably been 10 days," Thomson said. “He could feel it every once in a while in a swing. Yesterday he felt it on every swing, so we decided to shut this thing down.”
The Phillies recalled infielder/outfielder Otto Kemp and infielder Donovan Walton from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Turner's and Bohm's spots on the roster.
Kemp started at third base and Edmundo Sosa at shortstop against the Mets.
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