How a talk with Albert Pujols helped Edmundo Sosa thrive in his role with the Phillies

Edmundo Sosa’s role with the Cardinals was similar to his role with the Phillies. He didn’t play every day. The longest stretches he spent on the field came when he was filling in for someone else. He often was in a platoon and moving between second base, third base, and shortstop.

But despite the similarities, when Sosa looks back at that time between 2018 and 2022, he sees a different player.

“I was very young,” said Sosa, 28. “I didn’t understand why I wasn’t playing. I wanted to play every day, and I got angry sometimes [when I didn’t play].”

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That is not the case anymore, thanks to a conversation Sosa had with Albert Pujols. Pujols spent the 2022 season with the Cardinals before retiring at the end of the year. Sosa was his teammate for about four months, during which he hit .189/.244/.270.

It was a difficult time. Sosa went from playing in a career-high 113 games in 2021 to a bench role in 2022. He was not happy about it and was pressing.

Pujols decided to give him some advice. One day, when they were sitting in the sauna, he began to talk about his pregame work. He realized that Sosa didn’t have a consistent routine.

“He told me that to have success in this sport, I needed to have a good routine,” Sosa said. “That is what I had to be focused on. I wasn’t playing every day, but he told me to stay ready for any moment. To work hard and focus on that.

“To hear those things from a future Hall of Famer — it finally clicked for me. I needed to take advantage of the opportunities I had. Now, I understand my position and what my role is on the team. And I don’t get angry anymore. I just go to the gym, I go to the trainer’s room, I go to the cages, and I work.”

It sounds like a simple thing, but for Sosa, that consistency has made an impact. When he was with St. Louis, he would only do certain pregame activities on the days before he knew he was playing. Now, he does that same work every day — regardless of whether he’s in the lineup.

He’ll hit in the cage, hit off the tee, and do firm toss drills from different directions and speeds. He’ll prep for the pitchers he is likely to face so he can feel comfortable in any situation he’s thrown into.

“I never forgot what Pujols told me,” said Sosa, who was acquired by the Phillies in a trade with the Cardinals at the deadline in 2022. “I have to keep that work ethic up. I didn’t come here just to sit around. ‘Oh, you’re not playing tonight, just sit on your cell phone,’ and spend your day that way. No, you come in, do your work, and stay ready, because in any moment, there might be a situation they need you for.

“Right now, it’s playing every day while Trea [Turner] recovers. This is new for me, obviously. But last year, and this year, I’ve tried to create consistent routines so I can stay ready for these opportunities.”

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It’s unclear when Turner, who is rehabbing a left hamstring strain, will be back. Manager Rob Thomson said Thursday the Phillies don’t have a timetable for his return. But Sosa has proven to be a worthy substitute. He is entered Friday hitting .306/.424/.510 through 19 games and .353/.542/.588 over his last seven games.

His walk rate has skyrocketed from 2.7% in 2023 to 11.7% in 2024. He’s making more quality contact and is barreling up the ball more often. Sosa has two defensive runs saved through 92 innings at shortstop.

It’s a small sample size, but that doesn’t make it meaningless.

“[He’s been] tremendous,” Thomson said. “And that’s what a good team does. Somebody goes down, and other people pick up the slack, and our guys have done that really well.”

Filling in for Turner has been somewhat surreal for Sosa. When he was with the Cardinals and Turner was with the Nationals, Sosa used to study his play from across the diamond. He is looking forward to studying again soon.

“He’s a superstar,” Sosa said. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, one day I want to play like him.’ So I was really sad to hear about his injury. He’s a fundamental part of this team, a key piece of this team. No one wants him to miss any time. You never want to see that.

“I’m just trying to help the team as much as I can, so he doesn’t feel like he has to rush his rehab. I’m going to do my best. Trea has given me words of encouragement and told me he’s happy for the way I’ve played. It makes me feel good. It validates all the work I’ve done. We’re both just working to reach our goal, which is to win a World Series.”

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