CLEARWATER, Fla. — Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who was diagnosed Thursday with a left cruciate ligament tear, is likely to miss the rest of the season, baseball operations president Dave Dombrowski announced Friday.
Dombrowksi said Hoskins will be getting a second opinion soon, but stressed he would be “shocked” if the first baseman didn’t have surgery. The Phillies say the recommended surgery is an ACL reconstruction.
Hoskins injured his left knee in a Grapefruit League game against the Tigers on Thursday. He took an awkward step trying to catch a ground ball and fell to the ground. An MRI later showed a cruciate ligament tear.
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Dombrowski said the Phillies still don’t know which surgeon will perform the ACL reconstruction or when the surgery will take place. He said the estimated timeframe for Hoskins’ recovery is seven months. He’s not sure the first baseman can contribute in the postseason (if the Phillies make it this year), but he’s certain Hoskins “will work towards trying.”
“It’s very unfortunate for him, for us, but we really feel for him,” Dombrowski said of Hoskins. “He’s the ultimate gamer. Given what he may have, we feel terrible for him. But it is a situation to which we also have to react ourselves.”
Dombrowski said Darick Hall will get most of the game time at first base. Hall, 27, made his major league debut with the Phillies last season when he filled in for Bryce Harper after Harper fractured his left thumb in late June. Hall hit .250/.282/.522 over 42 regular-season games in Harper’s absence.
The left-hander spent his off-season working with batting coach Kevin Long and said he’s seen the ball like he’s never been before. The results of this work paid off this spring. Hall hits .319/.385/.681 with 1,066 OPS over 16 Grapefruit League games with five home runs.
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Dombrowski said that since last season, the Phillies have considered Hall, who has played 126 home games in six minor league seasons, as a major league player. It was all about finding the right fit, and with Hoskins at first base and other players rotating through the DH spot, it was difficult to find a spot for Hall. But Hoskins’ injury changes that.
“He’s just become a better player,” said Dombrowski. “He always had power, that speaks for itself, but he kept working hard, he kept closing his holes on the plate. When he got promoted to the Oberliga, he worked very well for us. And to show what a guy – he went to Arizona all winter and worked with Kevin Long all winter.
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“Kevin kept telling me, ‘Dave, he’s getting better and better. Look, he closes his holes. He’s really good looking.” So he did that for himself. He’s really a good, solid first baseman. He’s a big guy, but he catches the ball. He’s got a good arm – as you know, he was a pitcher in college. So he really did a lot for himself. He is also a respected person in our organization. And in the clubhouse.”
Hall, a left-hander, has fought left-handers in his career. In his 42 big league games last season, he hit .266 against righties (in 124 at-bats) and .083 against lefties (in 12 at-bats). Dombrowski said the Phillies have not yet decided whether Hall will platoon with another right-hander, such as third baseman Alec Bohm, who has experience playing first base.
“We haven’t made that decision yet,” Dombrowski said. “I know he’s going to get most of the game time, but of course we’re going to be playing right-handers most of the time. But I don’t know what we’re going to do about that. We haven’t discussed that part of it yet.”
Regardless of how they fill Hoskin’s absence on the field, Dombrowski stressed that it will be difficult for them to replace the impact he had on Phillies culture.
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“He’s an unshakable man,” Dombrowski said. “He’s the guy who’s like the backbone of the organization. I said that in the postseason, but in many ways he embodies what we’re about as an organization, as a team, and as a city. He’s a guy who gives you everything he has every day. He works his cock off. He’s very consistent on the pitch. He’s basically – you can round it to 30 homers, .250, 30 homers, 80-100 RBIs. He comes to the base. He goes. He’s respected in the clubhouse.
“He’s a player representative, he’s a pillar in the community, he’s involved in charity with his wife Jayme. And yet, and that’s not negative, he’s not the perfect player. Like we said during the postseason he’s going to hit, he’s a bit so-so at times, he’s not Gold Glove’s defensive first baseman. But he is what we are about. He’s brave, he’s determined, he’s a winner, he’s a championship player. He makes the best of his abilities. He’s simple, he and his wife, they’re just wonderful people. They are the backbone of what makes a club.”
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