Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins most likely to return in bench role if he’s cleared to play in postseason
Manager Rob Thomson sees a potential role for Hoskins as a pinch hitter if he can make it back in time from knee surgery.
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If Rhys Hoskins is cleared to play later for the Phillies in the postseason — still a very large “if” — it would almost certainly be in a bench role.
”I see Rhys as a pinch hitter more than anything,” manager Rob Thomson said Thursday. “There might be a time when you [face] a tough lefty and you want to get him four at-bats or something like that. But I see him more as a pinch hitter.”
Nearly six months removed from surgery after tearing a ligament in his knee, Hoskins won’t be ready to play first base. The Phillies are committed to keeping Kyle Schwarber in the designated hitter spot rather than putting him back in left field, a move that would weaken their defense.
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And so, if Hoskins is on the roster, which likely wouldn’t happen until the World Series, any move to put him in the game as a pinch hitter would require a defensive replacement. It might also mean the Phillies would have to carry 12 pitchers rather than 13.
Hoskins has gotten nearly 30 at-bats against live pitching at the Phillies’ complex in Clearwater, Fla. Thomson has watched video and said Hoskins “looked good and he’s running OK.”