Philadelphia Phillies star shortstop Trea Turner is not living up to expectations ahead of next season. That could cause the Phillies to entertain moving Turner.
Phillies weighing options with SS Trea Turner
The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reported how Turner could be moved in-house, to a different position, if his fielding doesn’t pick up soon (h/t The Sporting News’ Peter Chawaga):
“Turner, who turns 32 in June, is not oblivious,” Gelb wrote. “He’s heard the noise about his lackluster shortstop play. It is rare for a shortstop to improve with age. He would have to defy several trends to remain at shortstop into his mid-30s. The Phillies did not seriously discuss a position change this winter, multiple team sources said, but there were tougher internal conversations about the future.”
Further, Gelb wrote:
“Turner is in a race, then,” Gelb added. “If he doesn’t play a better shortstop in 2025, he might be somewhere else in the field come 2026.”
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Turner needs to up the ante for Phillies at shortstop
The 31-year-old has drawn criticism for his defensive play of late. Not only that, but Turner has grossly underwhelmed at the plate in Grapefruit League play this year for the Phillies.
The three-time All-Star has only one hit to five walks and seven strikeouts with a .059 batting average in Spring Training across 17 at bats. Thus, with his lackluster play, the veteran talent may be moved to an area of the field that is less strenuous on his body to preserve his prowess in other parts of the game.
