Phillies’ Trea Turner is fielding ground balls and hitting, but sprinting is his next rehab hurdle

It’s been 17 days since Trea Turner was placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain, but the Phillies shortstop has been progressing well. He hit on the field on Tuesday afternoon, and says the biggest box he has to check is sprinting. Neither he nor manager Rob Thomson wants to put a timeline on his return, but both say his rehab is going as well as it could right now.

“Really good,” Turner said of his rehab. “I don’t know what it’s been, 16 or 17 days? I feel like it’s been 15 really good ones, maybe one or two, not so great. But at the same time, I feel like that’s part of the process, so that’s a good thing.”

As of right now, Turner plans to travel with the team. He expects to go on the Phillies’ West Coast road trip later this week, and to London in June. He is going to adhere to the Phillies medical team’s recommendations.

Thomson said that Turner will do the same work on Tuesday: hitting on the field, taking ground balls, and throwing. When asked how it went on Tuesday, the shortstop was not enthused.

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“I mean, I hate hitting on the field, it’s useless, but hitting doesn’t bother me,” Turner said. “I’ve been able to swing pretty aggressively for a little while now, been doing a lot of stuff in the cage, pitching machines, stuff like that. So, hitting is not an issue. I just kind of do what they tell me. This is a box that they want checked.”

When Turner was first placed on the injured list, he estimated a six-week rehab. Without any specifics, it’s hard to know where that stands now. But given the work Turner is doing on the field, it’s fair to be optimistic about his progress.

The biggest box he needs to check is “just the last 100 percent gear,” Turner said. “Not-think-about-it type deal. I feel like I’m running good, definitely built my speed up. It’s just being in the game, and just reacting and not thinking about, should I run this percentage. I think that’s always going to be the hardest hurdle.

“But it’s more sprinting than anything. Ground balls are a little tricky because if you get one awkwardly, you can’t control stuff like that. Ground balls is a little bit of a question mark. Hitting feels great. Ground balls have felt great. It’s just the last thing I haven’t been able to do yet is flat-out sprint.”

Walker, who was hit in the toe on his left foot during his last start on May 16, will make his next start on Wednesday against the Rangers. Walker was diagnosed with a bruised toe but said he has felt much better in recent days.

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Bryce Harper helped out a Haddonfield student with his prom proposal on Monday night. Thomson — who said the gesture was “cute” — couldn’t relate.

“I didn’t go to my prom,” he said. “I had a game or something.”