“The consistency is just not there.” That was Trea Turner back in the first week of May. Nearly three months have passed since then, but his performance remains just as dire, if not worse.
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In December 2022, the Philadelphia Phillies signed the shortstop to an 11-year, $300 million contract that runs from 2023 through 2033, taking him through his age-40 season. At the time, the deal looked like a lucrative commitment to retain a back-to-back All-Star. The Phillies entered last season with the same belief, as Turner led the NL in batting average (.304) while posting an .812 OPS. However, the situation has changed drastically this season.
Turner is struggling on both sides of the ball. He is posting career-worst numbers, and that has invited plenty of criticism.
“You got Trea Turner with a .677, and he’s in the two-hole?” remarked Bill Colarulo on NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Like, I think there might be a scenario now where you gotta consider moving him down in the lineup. He’s killing you at the top of this lineup.”
Trea Turner bats in the crucial two-hole spot, and he is 0-for-17 in the last four games.
He went hitless in the entire series against the Seattle Mariners. He is batting just .198 in August with only 1 homer. However, this is not a funk that every player inevitably faces at some point in a 162-game-long season.
The story has been the same for Turner throughout the season.
While July looked comparatively good (7 homers, .287 BA), he struggled in the months prior. He hit only 2 homers in June, and his batting average dropped to .189 in May. He has a 0.8 WAR and 83 wRC+ this season, per FanGraphs.
Turner has not been good on defense either.
In 126 games, he has committed a league-leading 20 errors at shortstop. Playing against the Kansas City Royals last month, Turner’s throwing error cost the Phillies a run that could have been an inning-ending double play. It marked his 12th error of the season.
But what’s concerning is that such errors have been frequent throughout the season. This season, Turner has recorded a -15 DRS and -8 OAA.
Turner has also dealt with a few injury issues this season.
Earlier this month, a foul ball struck his right knee and ankle, while he sustained a contusion to his right calf in June. Fortunately, neither injury resulted in a lengthy stint on the injured list.
While there is always a possibility of Turner turning it around next season, the chances of him actually pulling it off at 34 are not that great. Turner has definitely not been a shortstop worth a $27.3 million AAV this year. But the Phillies are stuck with him for the foreseeable future, and Don Mattingly is sticking to the current lineup.
Don Mattingly on moving Turner down the lineup
Trea Turner is slashing .239/.291/.380 this season with a .671 OPS. In his last seven games, he has recorded only 1 RBI, going 4-for-30. At 33, Turner appears to be declining, and keeping him at the No. 2 hole in the lineup is not doing the Phillies any favors.
With the Phillies dropping two games straight against the Seattle Mariners, reporters asked interim manager Don Mattingly about moving Turner down the lineup.
“Where do you want me to put him? And who do you want me to put there?” Mattingly reportedly asked jokingly before explaining his stance.
“Yeah, it’s kind of the same for me. Kind of what we’ve been doing is where we’ve had success. We’ve been consistent. I think we all know that Trea’s gonna come out of this. And when he does, it’ll be hot,” the manager added.
In 2023, in his first season with the team, Turner went through a prolonged slump early in the season. But then, fans decided to turn it around for him by giving him a standing ovation. He ultimately finished the season with 26 homers.
Mattingly also drew examples of how Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and even Luis Arraez turned things around. But the problem with Turner is that it’s not just a few bad days.
He has been slumping throughout the season. Though he believes he has finally found the way to get success at the plate. Turner said so after the Phillies dropped their second game against the Mariners.
“I felt like today was good,” Turner told NBC Sports Philadelphia on Tuesday. “I didn’t get the results I wanted, but I felt like I finally made an adjustment in the box.”
According to Turner, he and the Phillies’ hitting coach, Kevin Long, are currently banking on the adjustment he recently made at the plate. He is trying to hit the ball in the opposite direction and stop flying open.
As the Phillies play the Los Angeles Angels next, it will be clear how well the new strategy is working for Turner.