Phillies place rookie center fielder Adam Haseley on the injured list with groin strain
Rookie center fielder was injured while running out a grounder in his first major-league game on Tuesday night in San Diego.
It has been a week of firsts -- good and bad -- for Adam Haseley.
Haseley played in his first big-league game on Tuesday night. He got his first major-league hit and RBI on Wednesday. And on Saturday, the Phillies rookie center fielder went on the 10-day injured list for the first time with a strained left groin.
“Not the best timing,” Haseley said before the Phillies continued their three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. “Certainly not what you plan on when you’re dreaming about starting in the big leagues.”
Haseley underwent an MRI on Saturday. The Phillies won’t have a timetable for his return until the results are reviewed. In the interim, outfielder Nick Williams has been recalled from triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies rushed Haseley to the majors after left fielder Andrew McCutchen suffered a season-ending left knee injury Monday night. With Odubel Herrera on indefinite administrative leave and awaiting a June 17 court date while Major League Baseball investigates his involvement in a domestic assault incident at an Atlantic City casino, Haseley was expected to receive the majority of the playing time in center field.
With Haseley out, the Phillies likely will turn to Scott Kingery in center field. Kingery had been playing almost every day at third base in place of slumping Maikel Franco.
Haseley said the injury occurred when he tried to beat out a grounder in one of his final two at-bats Tuesday night in San Diego. He played through it the following day, even delivering the go-ahead RBI double in the eighth inning of a 7-5 victory over the Padres.
“I’m pretty sure it was just running down the line on one of the balls, just playing at that speed of trying to get your first hit,” Haseley said. “It was probably running as hard as I could and something just happened.”
But Haseley said the issue “progressively got a little worse to where it was hindering my ability to play at 100 percent.” He was scratched from the Phillies’ original lineup Friday night against the Reds but was available to pinch-hit, manager Gabe Kapler said.
“We definitely want to treat this one carefully,” Kapler said. “We don’t want to lose him for a period of time.”
Haseley, the Phillies’ first-round draft pick in 2017, said he missed time with a hamstring injury in college at the University of Virginia but has never dealt with groin or hip flexor issues.
As with all that Haseley has experienced this week, there’s a first time for everything.
Extra bases
Jean Segura went 2-for-4 in the 4-1 victory over the Reds. He has had more than one hit in 20 of the 54 games that he has played this season. … Speedy outfielder Roman Quinn, sidelined since April 25 by a right groin strain, could begin an injury rehab assignment Monday at high-A Clearwater. Quinn is expected to abandon switch-hitting and bat exclusively from the right side. … Aaron Nola (6-1, 4.63 ERA) will attempt to pitch the Phillies to a three-game sweep on Sunday. He will be opposed by Reds right-hander Sonny Gray (2-5, 3.54).