Just 18 hits in 86 at-bats—that’s what Trea Turner’s August numbers look like. What’s more concerning, though, is that his season has followed a similar pattern, and with the postseason just 30 games away, those results have become harder to ignore. Yet the Philadelphia Phillies shortstop remains convinced that his swing isn’t as far off as the numbers suggest. That’s why, after another hitless outing in Seattle, he pointed to something beyond the box score.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
A mechanical adjustment. A small glimpse of progress. And that might be exactly what the Phillies are looking for.
“I felt like today was good,” Turner said during an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I didn’t get the results I wanted, but I felt like I finally made an adjustment in the box.”
Turner went hitless for the third consecutive game on Tuesday, extending what has become the worst stretch of his career at the plate. His offensive struggles have continued to weigh on his numbers, with his season OPS now sitting at a career-low level. On the other hand, the Phillies witnessed a lack of offensive power and dropped the game 4-1. This was their second loss against the Mariners, as they had also lost the series opener 9-2 on Monday. But the 33-year-old doesn’t think that they had a bad outing.
“I think we ran into two really good starting pitchers the last couple of days and just didn’t get the job done. So I don’t feel like we’ve beaten ourselves or done some stupid stuff. I just feel like we just got beaten,” he said after the game.
Philadelphia is 73-60, second in the NL East. They are 2.0 games ahead in the Wild Card race. While their positioning seems somewhat comfortable, the batting stats offer little optimism. The Phillies have a .242 AVG, putting them 19th in the league. While that isn’t on one hitter, Trea Turner has been one of the biggest concerns of late.
The 3x All-Star signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies in December 2022. He had stellar performances in the last two years, but his recent numbers raised a lot of questions. Turner’s .304 batting average went down to .241, and his OPS dropped from .812 to .678 in less than a year. But his hitting skills aren’t the only concern for the Phillies. The shortstop has also made 19 errors over 128 games compared to just 8 (141 games) last year.
Turner had some health setbacks this year, too. He fouled a ball off his right knee and ankle earlier this month, and in June, he suffered a right calf contusion. But on both occasions, he avoided major IL stints.
Yet his struggles have continued. However, the veteran himself thinks there are more positive signs than worries.
“I didn’t try to hit the ball the other way and stop flying those in. Today I felt like I made a little progress there. So me and Kevin were talking a lot,” Trea Turner added.
He has been practicing with the Phillies hitting coach, Kevin Long, and the player admitted that the advice from his coach was to keep hitting and keep pushing. Looks like he is trying to keep at it while addressing the reality of the situation. But the Philadelphia Phillies will need their star slugger to resolve his issues before October if they are to chase the World Series.