But a return certainly isn’t imminent. After all, Harper hasn’t had a spring training. So he’ll have to go on a rehab assignment to the minor leagues, perhaps a lengthy one, to get his timing back. That won’t help the Phillies much in the short term. But it’s a long season, and the Phillies were 8 games below .500 last year on May 31. So there is still plenty of time.
Replacing Harper’s and Hoskins’ production (48 homers combined last season) was never going to be easy. But the Phillies did sign Turner to an 11-year contract worth $300 million, and his past history suggests that he can make up for at least half of that total. The other half could come from the combination of third baseman Alec Bohm and second baseman Bryson Stott.
