Trea Turner, Alec Bohm hit IL; Turner’s Grade 1 hamstring strain not believed to be season-ending

With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Phillies will have to navigate without the left side of their infield.

The Phillies have placed Trea Turner (right hamstring strain) and Alec Bohm (shoulder cyst) on the 10-day injured list. Utilityman Otto Kemp has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and infielder Donovan Walton has had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley.

Daniel Robert was also transferred to the 60-day IL as he has “a pretty gnarly” flexor strain, which is not expected to need surgery, but will shut him down from throwing for three weeks, he told Matthew De George of the Delco Times and Tim Kelly of On Pattison.

So the Phillies are without Zack Wheeler, Turner, and Bohm for the foreseeable future, and have seven games in 10 days against the Mets and Dodgers. If any team needs that first-round bye, it is the Phillies.

If there is any good news to come out of this, it is that Turner could return before the postseason.

Turner was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain last May and missed over six weeks. This time, however, it is a Grade 1 on his right hamstring, which Rob Thomson said is better than they thought. “We expect him to be back by playoff time,” Thomson said.

He suffered the injury in the seventh inning of Sunday’s loss to the Marlins in Miami. The Phillies will hand shortstop to Edmundo Sosa in Turner’s absence.

Turner has been having his best season in red pinstripes and sneakily has been an MVP candidate in the National League with his 6.6 WAR (fourth in the majors) and his defensive and offensive adjustments. He leads the NL in hits with 179, 21 more than anyone else, while posting a .305 average, making him the only current qualified NL hitter batting above .300, and a .814 OPS, and playing excellent defense at shortstop.

Bohm has a cyst in his shoulder that will need to be drained, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, and he will need to be treated with an injection. He is expected to return in 10 days, Thomson said. Thomson said that Bohm has been dealing with shoulder soreness and felt it on every swing last game.

Bohm is slashing .272/.319/.384 on the season. He has posted a measly .518 OPS over his last 15 games.

The Phillies will have to scramble for production. Kyle Schwarber is hitting just .154 over his last seven games and has not hit a home run since his four-homer game last Thursday. J.T. Realmuto has cooled off exponentially, with a .173 over his last 15 games. Bryce Harper has just a .179 average in his last seven games.

Everyone is going to have to come through. Especially those three guys with the lineup, the Phillies are going to have to go with for the next 10 days minimum.

Here is their lineup against young Mets right-hander Nolan McLean Monday night:

1. 1B Bryce Harper
2. DH Kyle Schwarber
3. C J.T. Realmuto
4. LF Max Kepler
5. CF Harrison Bader
6. RF Nick Castellanos
7. 2B Bryson Stott
8. SS Edmundo Sosa
9. 3B Otto Kemp
   RHP Aaron Nola

This is September madness at its finest.

Harper is batting leadoff for the first time since October 4, 2022, when he was the designated hitter in the game after the Phillies clinched their playoff berth in Houston. He told reporters Monday afternoon that it was something he spoke with the team about, and they are going to give it a try.

Harper has a .271 average and a .932 OPS in his career leading off.

Brandon Marsh is out of the lineup because he has the flu.

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