Sosa joins left fielder Austin Hays (kidney infection) and Bohm as recent additions to the injured list. Sosa’s season was highlighted by a .275 average and .841 OPS in 32 starts while shortstop Trea Turner was out with a hamstring strain. Overall, he’s batting .264 with seven homers and a .756 OPS.
With 19 games left, the Phillies are closing in on their first division title since 2011, as well as a first-round bye in the playoffs. They are also jockeying with the Dodgers for the best record in baseball, a prize that would be accompanied by home-field advantage throughout October.
Each of those goals is important to Thomson.
“If you’ve got a chance to get home-field throughout,” Thomson said, “that one [extra] game [at home] in the World Series can really be the difference-maker.”
But Thomson said the health of the roster trumps everything. And the Phillies will take care over the season’s final three weeks to manage bumps and bruises while getting players through the finish line.
That’s especially true for the pitchers. Thomson pulled Zack Wheeler at 84 pitches after six innings Friday night with a double-digit lead. He lifted Aaron Nola with two outs in the fourth inning Saturday instead of pushing him beyond 101 pitches to finish the frame.
“For me, it’s all about health, you know?” Thomson said. “Any type of ache or pain, a red flag really goes up, and you really try to knock it out. So, it’s really health that I’m concerned about the most.”
J.T. Realmuto didn’t hobble as much as he walked through the Phillies’ clubhouse Sunday. He rode a stationary bike and received more treatment. Then, he gave a promising update on his bruised left knee.
“It’s much better today,” the star catcher said, “than it was yesterday.”
And if the residual swelling and fluid continues to subside, manager Rob Thomson said Realmuto will return to the lineup “in the next day or two,” which qualified as the best injury news the Phillies have had in at least a week.
But it is September, a point in the season when aches and pains tend to mount. So, for the third time in four days, the Phillies put a player on the injured list, with reserve infielder Edmundo Sosa taking a turn because of back spasms. He’s eligible to return on Sept. 17.
Sosa was preparing to hit in the indoor batting cage Saturday when he felt a twinge in his back, according to Thomson. It still lingered before the series finale against the Marlins, prompting a better-safe-than-sorry approach.
The move opened a roster spot for righty Seth Johnson, who made his major-league debut Sunday. The Phillies added infield depth in recent days. They recalled Kody Clemens when rosters expanded on Sept. 1 and Buddy Kennedy when Alec Bohm went on the injured list Friday with a strained left hand.
The Phillies placed reserve infielder Edmundo Sosa on the 10-day injured list with back spasms before Sunday's series finale in Miami.
Elizabeth Robertson
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