The Philadelphia Phillies have not played good baseball in the second half. However, they are seeing increased contributions from shortstop Trea Turner since the All-Star break ended.
The 33-year-old veteran had a disastrous first half but is looking more like himself over his last 26 games, posting a .290 batting average, .348 on-base percentage, .899 OPS, seven home runs and 14 RBIs.
His numbers on the year remain underwhelming, but the Phillies are certainly pleased to see him producing rather than continuing to slump.
Aside from just this season, they are still on the hook through the 2033 season for Turner as he is in just the fourth year of his massive 11-year, $300 million contract.
Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Turner has battled a few minor injury concerns this year and suffered another one during Saturday's matchup with the Minnesota Twins.
Turner fouled a ball directly off his right knee and immediately fell to the ground in discomfort. He also landed awkwardly on his right ankle while falling to the dirt.
After the game it was revealed that his exit was precautionary, even though it looked particularly painful. Turner was held out of Sunday's series finale lineup against the Twins with Edmundo Sosa taking over duties at shortstop.
While speaking with reporters during pregame, interim manager Don Mattingly announced an update on Turner's condition, saying that although Turner is not in the lineup he could still be available off the bench, indicating it is a day-to-day situation (h/t Tim Kelly of On Pattinson).
Given how well Turner has been playing recently, this is good news for the Phillies, who cannot afford to lose him to the 10-day injured list as the National League wild card race heats up.
