‘Of course I had it circled’: Rhys Hoskins returns from injured list in time for Phillies homecoming

MILWAUKEE — One thing we learned about Rhys Hoskins during his seven years in Philadelphia is that he is eminently human. From his emphatic bat spike in Game 3 of the 2022 NLDS to his frankness in the clubhouse to his charity work with the SPCA and Muscular Dystrophy Association, the first baseman has always approached life and vocation with more emotion than his stoic veneer would suggest. So when a hamstring strain threatened to derail next week’s much-anticipated return to Citizens Bank Park, his reaction was what you would expect.

“Of course I had it circled,” said Hoskins, who signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the Brewers this offseason after the Phillies informed him that he was not in their 2024 plans. “Why would you not? I mean, it wasn’t the first thing I thought of when [the injury] happened, because you never want to miss games. I already did enough of that last year, and I’m sick of it, to be frank. But yeah, I thought, ‘Oh, [shoot], we’re coming up on it. We’re almost already in June.’”

Well, here June is, and there Hoskins was on a Friday evening at American Life Field, finishing off a round of batting practice and declaring himself ready to go. Two weeks after straining his hamstring in a game against the Pirates, the first baseman was activated from the injured list and back in the lineup. Assuming he remains healthy through the weekend, he will be in a Brewers uniform Monday at Citizens Bank Park as the Phillies host Milwaukee in a clash between two of the hottest teams in the National League.

Hoskins said before the game that his quick recovery was attributable more to an injury that was milder than initially feared than to a desire to force himself back on the field in time for the trip to Philadelphia. The Brewers certainly are glad to have him back. Before hitting the injured list on May 13, Hoskins had emerged as a veteran spark plug on a young Brewers team that entered Friday at 33-23 and in first place in the NL Central. He set an early tone with a highly publicized confrontation with Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil that cleared the benches. He has an .813 OPS with nine home runs and 27 RBIs in 38 games.

“One of our pillars,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said a few hours before first pitch. “It’s huge, just because of who he is. It’s not just the experience and the ability, it’s just who he is. I’m happy for him. He was miserable not contributing.”

If Hoskins is in the lineup against the Phillies on Monday, it will be his first game at Citizens Bank Park since Game 5 of the 2022 World Series. He spent the first six seasons of his MLB career ushering the Phillies into a new era of competitiveness. His tenure came to an unfortunate and unceremonious end, a torn ACL late in spring training sidelining him for all of 2023. Hoskins was hoping for a postseason return, but that chance was scuttled when the Phillies lost Game 7 of the NLCS to the Diamondbacks. Not long afterward, president Dave Dombrowski informed Hoskins that they were planning on keeping Bryce Harper at first base and would not be making him an offer in free agency. Hoskins spent two months on the market before signing with the Brewers.

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Despite the bittersweet end, Hoskins will return to a place where he established himself as one of the Phillies’ best homegrown hitters in a decade and became a fixture in the community with his charity work. His 148 career home runs rank 16th on the Phillies’ all-time list: two fewer than Mike Lieberthal and Scott Rosen, 14 more than Darren Daulton. His .846 career OPS ranks 24th, one behind Chase Utley.

“I already have goose bumps,” Hoskins said.

Plenty more to come.