Trea Turner Heating Up at Perfect Time for Phillies: ‘It’s Like a Different Dynamic’

Trea Turner opened the month of August the same way he had performed most of this season: lackluster. From Aug. 1-15, he hit .245 with a .680 OPS and three doubles and only one home run in 53 at-bats. Passable, but not what you’d like to see from the reigning batting champion. The second half of August only got worse, as he finished the month batting .215 with a .572 OPS, the worst calendar month of his 12-year career.

Over his last nine games, something has drastically changed. Turner is 13-for-42, a .310 average, four doubles, two home runs, and seven RBI with a much more Turner-like .904 OPS. He did go 0-for-4 in the series finale against the Houston Astros on Thursday afternoon, snapping his six-game hitting streak, but his power came in back-to-back games in this Astros series, where he was instrumental in the comeback win in Game 2.

Trae’s first homer in a month makes it a game 👀 #Phillies pic.twitter.com/kYcQPTbG3i

— Philly Sports Reports (@PhlySprtsReprts) September 9, 2026

“The way we scored [Wednesday night], I thought was pretty cool,” Turner said afterward. “Working at-bats, working counts, even if a guy got out here or there, felt like the guy behind him picked him right up. So we just need to keep doing that and keep playing good baseball.”

Don Mattingly has seen this version of Turner before from the outside in his previous managerial stops, even though he hasn’t shown up this much all season. Turner is a very streaky player, and it doesn’t take much to get him ignited, and how much more explosive when he’s in the middle of the offense.

“We’ve seen the games that Trea gets going,” Mattingly said. “It’s like a different dynamic with our offense because of the speed and power too and just getting on base.”

From the mechanical perspective, his swing just looks more compact and smooth, which is going to help him against the two pitches that have caused him problems all season, the sinker and the slider. He is hitting .174 against the sinker and .150 against the slider, a huge step down from the .347 and .275 he hit respectively on the same pitches last season. His average exit velocity is up nearly 5 MPH over the last nine games.

Though this is a small sample size, and in no way erases the paltry season he’s had on both sides of the ball, his hot streak is coming at the time that the Phillies need it the most. The Phillies are locked in a playoff push where they need strong play from the leadership in the team. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber have held their end of the bargain all season, so if Turner can get consistent, this will go a long way toward their pursuit of the Braves and Chicago Cubs.

Turner’s value to the Phils has never been only his batting average; his true value is what a calming force he is in the clubhouse and the chaos he causes on the basepaths. When you look at a veteran team such as the Phils, being a clubhouse leader is a big responsibility, a role that Turner has embraced since he arrived in Philadelphia. This is rooted in the balance he plays the game with, and his belief in himself. Even through a season where his own performance on the field gave him every reason to mail it, he has never stopped fighting. That’s the kind of thing that leaders do down the stretch.

The Phillies have been patient, waiting for the tide to turn for their star shortstop. Though several injuries have made it hard for him to gain any consistency, all it takes is a spark to ignite Turner, and with his track record in October, this late-season renaissance has been the shot in the arm that the Phils need. Though it didn’t result in a series win against Houston, taking a hot Turner into Atlanta for a critical series should give the Phils the best chance possible to storm into October, not just limp in.

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