Trea Turner’s night against the Dodgers was the kind of game that can make a manager wince and smile at the same time.
The Phillies shortstop had the full spectrum on display Monday: an error in the field, at least two more plays that could have gone against him, and a hard-hit ball in the ninth inning that would have been a difficult chance for any shortstop. Then came the other side of the coin. Turner finished 3-for-5 with 2 HR and 5 RBI, his biggest RBI total in a game since August 18 of last year.
That’s been the Turner experience lately - the wild swings, the mistakes, the big swings, and the production. Even Turner knows it.
"Just a ridiculous game in general by me," Turner smiled. "Roller coaster -- up, down, up, down -- You do things like that you just gotta laugh about it."
Around the clubhouse, that’s the mood too. The Phillies are not pretending the defense isn’t messy. They’re just choosing not to let it define him.
"If you can't laugh at yourself, Turner said to Phillies on SI. "You're kind of done for."
Manager Don Mattingly made it clear after the win that Turner isn’t going anywhere.
"Trea's our guy," a passionate Mattingly said after the Phillies' win over the Dodgers Monday night. "Trea works every day.
Trea cares about his defense. He wants to make plays.
He's working every day, so we ride with Trea. "You gotta put it behind you.
He's not bothered by what people would say. He wants to make plays.
He wants to win and he wants to get better and he knows he's better than that."
The Phillies are sticking with Turner at shortstop now and into 2026, with no change coming this season. A move elsewhere could be considered later, but not right now.
Turner keeps grinding on the defensive side with Phillies infield coach Bobby Dickerson every day, and the team believes the work matters. Turner said the game has a rhythm defensively just like it does at the plate.
"Everyone talks about rhythm at the plate, but I think there's rhythm on the base paths or rhythm defensively," Turner said. "Sometimes you feel good, sometime syou don't. You just have to find that floor there."
For all the frustration his glove can create, Turner’s bat is doing the heavy lifting for Philadelphia. Since June 15, he is hitting .316 with 7 HR, 19 RBI, and an.
924 OPS (28 games). He has also scored 27 runs and piled up 64 total bases.
That’s why the Phillies paid him $300 million, and why they’re willing to live with the rest. Turner has become the tone setter for the offense, the right-handed bat they’ve needed for years.
"When Trea goes, we go," Mattingly said. "When Trea's doing his thing, it changes our club."
In Other News...
Phillies Zeroing In On Two Giants Bats Before The Deadline
With the trade deadline drawing closer, the Phillies are doing what contenders usually do this time of year: checking on bats that could deepen the lineup and add some flexibility. San Francisco has become a logical place to look, and Philadelphia was among the clubs with scouts on hand at a recent Giants game to get a closer read on two players who fit different needs, one as an outfield option with offensive upside and the other as a movable piece who can cover the dirt.
The appeal is obvious for a Phillies team trying to stay nimble. One target brings left-handed thump and enough bat-to-ball ability to keep evaluators interested, even if the glove leaves some questions about where he best fits. The other offers infield versatility and power in a package that can help a roster in more than one way, which is exactly the kind of profile front offices tend to circle as the deadline pressure starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Made Another Right Field Bet Before The Deadline
The Phillies are taking another swing at solving right field, and this one comes with a familiar deadline feel: a short-term fix that could buy time while the front office keeps hunting for a more permanent answer. Bryan De La Cruz is set to get a look because Philadelphia wants another right-handed bat in the mix, especially with a run of left-handed starters coming up and the position still unsettled after Adolis Garcias injury.
De La Cruz has at least shown he can handle lefties well enough to make the idea worth testing, which is more than can be said for some of the other stopgap options the Phillies have cycled through. The bigger question is whether this is just a brief audition or the start of something longer, because the club still has a deadline decision to make and right field remains one of the spots most likely to change again before the month is over. [Read more 🡒]
ESPNs New Phillies Top 10 Brings A Brutal Reality Check
ESPNs latest look at the Phillies farm system offered a pretty sobering snapshot of where the organization stands beneath the big-league roster. Kiley McDaniels updated top 10 goes prospect by prospect through the current crop, weighing performance and development, and the overall read is clear enough: there is talent in the system, but not a lot of immediate help waiting in the wings.
For a club that has spent years trying to balance contention now with a pipeline that can sustain it later, that matters. The Phillies are still hoping at least one of their top five prospects can force his way into the picture soon, but the broader message from the rankings is that most of the list is still a long way from being part of a meaningful 2027 conversation. [Read more 🡒]