Phillies Hoskins to miss season with ACL injury

*Photo from ABC6*

   Right before the season, this isn't something that anyone wants to see. Philadelphia Phillies 1B Rhys Hoskins was carted off the field on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers in a spring training game. He was diagnosed with a torn ACL, according to the Phillies.

   In a statement, the Phillies said that Hoskins will undergo surgery on his ACL at a soon to be determined time. As such, Hoskins' season is all but over before it began. It's a big blow to the Phillies, who will be missing Bryce Harper to start the season due to Tommy John Surgery as they try to make another run at a World Series after coming up short in 6 games last year to the Houston Astros.

   Hoskins had a strong season for the Phillies in their pennant run last season. He ended the regular season with a .246 batting average and .794 OPS, blasting 30 home runs with 79 RBI's in 156 games. He added 6 home runs and 12 RBI's with a .435 slugging percentage in 17 playoff games.

   The injury occurred in the second inning of the Phillies game on Thursday. While backpedaling to field a ground ball, the ball deflected off his glove, and he went down to the ground trying to chase after the ball. He was surrounded by teammates and EMT's as he was carted off the field. Hoskins is scheduled to hit free agency following the season.

   Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos said that "I just put my hand on his shoulder, but you know, no words needed to be said right there. What is there really to say? Everybody knows exactly what’s going on. When something like that happens, it’s not taken lightly. I think every single person on that field around him realized the seriousness of that moment."

   Since debuting in 2017, Hoskins ranks 12th in baseball in home runs with 148 and 16th in RBI's with 405. Among qualified hitters, he is in the 90th percentile in on base percentage with .353, 91st percentile in slugging percentage with .492, and 93rd percentile in OPS with a .846 mark.

   Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that "No matter what happens with our club, you’re going to have some injuries during the course of the year, and our club finds a way to pick up the pieces and move forward. That's what we did last year. And we'll continue to do that."

   The Phillies will likely have Darick Hall step in to be the full time first baseman in the wake of the injury to Hoskins, with Alec Bohm also a candidate for a backup role. Outfielder Kyle Schwarber also played first base down the stretch in 2021 with the Boston Red Sox in a short sample.