BALTIMORE – The Philadelphia Phillies expect star shortstop Trea Turner to return Monday, according to manager Rob Thomson.
Thomson said Sunday that Turner would be back in action the next day “barring anything unusual.” He has not played since May 3 with a strained left thigh.
Turner had a .343 batting average with 10 stolen bases in 33 games before going on the injured list.
The Phillies have continued without him, leading the NL East by eight games before Sunday's final game of the series in Baltimore.
Philadelphia will host San Diego on Monday in its first home game since June 5, just before the team traveled to London to play a pair of games against the New York Mets. The Phillies then played in Boston and Baltimore.
“It feels like we’ve been gone for a month,” Thomson said.
Edmundo Sosa has played well in Turner's absence, hitting his fifth home run of the season on Saturday.
“He's huge. I think over the last few years the baseball world has probably looked at him as an all-around talent. Now they look at him as a shortstop,” Thomson said. “So his value is very high right now, as it should be, because he's played very well.”
He is likely to play a role as a substitute in the infield and possibly also in the outfield.
“If he's not playing every day, it's not a bad idea to give him some work in the outfield,” Thomson said. “Just to see what it looks like, just to get him used to it.”
