Kyle Schwarber’s advice to Rhys Hoskins on possible World Series return: It’s your choice — ‘it was different for me’

When Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins tore his ACL in spring training, one week before the start of the regular season, Kyle Schwarber was one of the first players to help him off the field.

Hoskins suffered a non-contact injury while trying to field a ground ball. There was no rhyme or reason to it, he just took an awkward — but costly — step. He would miss the 2023 regular season.

Schwarber understood. He had a similar experience, in 2016, when he was with the Cubs. In the second game of his regular season, Schwarber, then a 23-year-old left fielder, collided with center fielder Dexter Fowler over a ball that fell into the left-center field gap. Schwarber tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee.

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His story had a happy ending. Two hundred and four days later, Schwarber made a comeback in the 2016 World Series. He hit .412/.500/.471 with a .971 OPS over five games — a herculean feat, considering the fact that he’d missed so much time — in helping the Cubs to their first World Series victory in 108 years.

But Hoskins’ story is still unknown. The Phillies are still holding out hope that he can be added to the World Series roster, should the Phillies make it there, but it is not a guarantee. Despite the fact that Hoskins and Schwarber suffered similar injuries, Schwarber has chosen to emphasize the differences in their situations.

“We’ve definitely had conversations about my experience,” Schwarber said. “How it feels. But we also talk a lot about how our situations are different.

“I’ve always told him: My situation was different. I still had about a lot of years of team control left. If I got hurt, I got hurt. I had the security of that team control. That is the biggest thing, at the end of the day. I told him, ‘You know what, it’s your choice if you choose to try. If these guys say, ‘OK, we want you on the roster,’ that’s your choice as well.

“He has to do what’s best for himself and his family. And he has to go with how his body feels. I know it’s in his heart. He wants to be here with the boys and contribute, but also, too, anytime you can reach free agency, it’s a blessing. He’s done so well for himself throughout the course of the year, and he’s a big piece of who we are as a team. Even though he wasn’t physically here with us on the field, he was still here with us, grinding, making a huge impact on a lot of guys. He is still a huge part of what we’re doing.”

Hoskins, 30, has been in the Phillies’ organization since 2014. He is eligible to hit free agency after the season. He has worked hard in his rehab, with the goal of returning, which reminds Schwarber a bit of how he went about his own process with the Cubs. Like Hoskins, he tracked thousands of pitches to get his eyes ready for big-league at-bats. Similarly to how Hoskins continues to take at-bats in Clearwater, Fla., Schwarber went to the Arizona Fall League to take at-bats in a game setting.

It did not go well. He recorded only one hit in six at-bats. But everything changed once he returned to the postseason.

“My at-bats were actually awful in the fall league,” Schwarber said. “I’d be the first one to tell you that I was actually kind of shocked they put me on the roster and was batting fifth. I think I had one hit and a couple of hard-hit balls.

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“The difference, for me, was just the competition. The nature of competition. I think that’s something that can be overlooked when people are evaluating where a player is at. Especially — I was in Arizona, at the complex, doing fall league games, and there was no atmosphere. No nothing. You can be thinking, where your hands are, how does my knee feel, how does my side feel, I’m sore, my hands hurt. When you get thrown into a World Series game, and (what) you’re thinking about is, how am I going to beat this guy?”

Schwarber wouldn’t be surprised if playing in the postseason has a similar effect on Hoskins. But he is always quick to remind his friend that it is ultimately up to him.

“Every time we talk, I always shoot him a little reminder that, ‘Hey man, this is always your choice, it was different for me,’” Schwarber said. “We have the same mind. He really wants to give this a chance. And that’s what I wanted to do, too. It was not a guarantee that I was going to come back. I could’ve gotten a call and they say, ‘Hey, we’re just not going to do it.’ But at least I would’ve given it a shot.

“There are so many different possible scenarios that could happen. But I try to make this as clear as possible to him: It’s not selfish if you say, ‘You know what, I don’t feel comfortable doing this.’ That’s fine. That’s perfect. At the end of the day, it’s always his choice. And you know what — if he chooses to do it, that’s great. If he chooses not to do it — that’s great too. He’s done so much for this organization already. He’s got the right do to all of this.”