How do the Phillies replace Rhys Hoskins at first base and in the lineup?

It became a reflex for Phillies managers. If there was a game on the schedule over the last five years, they almost certainly wrote Rhys Hoskins’ name on the lineup card.

Hoskins made his major league debut on Aug. 10, 2017. Since then, the Phillies have played 776 games, including the postseason. Hoskins started 670 of them, or 86%, with 463 starts coming at first base. Only Freddie Freeman, Matt Olson, Paul Goldschmidt, Pete Alonso, and Anthony Rizzo have played more games at first base since 2019.

But Hoskins tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Thursday in a Grapefruit League game in Clearwater, Fla. He retreated to field a chopper and collapsed on the grass in shallow right field, clutching his knee and remaining on the ground for several minutes before getting carted off and taken for tests.

It didn’t look good. And it wasn’t.

» READ MORE: Rhys Hoskins’ heartbreaking knee injury means Nick Castellanos can’t hide any more | Marcus Hayes

Doctors recommended an ACL reconstruction. Additional details — a date for the procedure, the performing surgeon, and a recovery timeline — are “to be determined,” according to the Phillies, but the Mayo Clinic suggests that athletes typically take 8 to 12 months to return to play.

It’s devastating for Hoskins, the popular homegrown slugger and second-longest-tenured active Phillies player who can be a free agent after the season. But with opening day set for next Thursday in Texas, team officials must also begin contemplating life without him, namely alternatives to play first base and supply 30-homer, 100-RBI middle-of-the-order production from the right side.

There’s little the Phillies can do about the latter, save for hoping Nick Castellanos’ bat bounces back from last season. External possibilities may arise. Veteran first baseman/DH Luke Voit, for example, can opt out of his minor league contract on Friday if the Brewers don’t add him to the roster. Voit, a right-handed hitter, slugged 22 homers with a .710 on-base plus slugging last season for the Padres and Nationals.

First, though, the Phillies will weigh their in-house solutions. Here’s a look at a few potential scenarios:

Some team officials will argue that the best Hoskins-less alignment has Alec Bohm moving across the field to first base and utility infielder Edmundo Sosa taking over at third.

When the Phillies acquired Sosa last summer in a deadline trade with the Cardinals, they believed he could play every day. Manager Rob Thomson loves his defense and athleticism, even using him in center field this spring.

It will be tempting to jot Sosa’s name on the lineup card on a more regular basis.

“He’s a really good player,” Thomson said earlier in spring training. “He’s squaring up breaking balls now. He’s not chasing as much. He’s dynamic. He covers ground, swings the bat. He’s a good player.”

When Bryce Harper broke his thumb last June, the Phillies called up lefty-hitting Darick Hall from triple A, used him as a DH against almost exclusively right-handed pitching, and watched him hit nine homers and slug .522 in 136 at-bats. This spring, the 27-year-old has been competing for a bench spot and leads the team with five Grapefruit League home runs.

Oh, and guess what position Hall played in the minor leagues.

Yep, first base.

» READ MORE: Phillies’ Darick Hall finding success by controlling ‘my own destiny’ at the plate

But it isn’t as simple as plugging in Hall for Hoskins. There’s a reason the Phillies rarely let Hall face lefties (12 at-bats) last season. He batted .175/.242/.314 against them in triple A compared to .280/.344/.601 against righties. In the first week of the season, the Phillies could face Rangers lefties Andrew Heaney and Martín Pérez and Yankees lefty Nestor Cortes. They’ll get their fill of tough lefties within the NL East, too, from Braves ace Max Fried to the Marlins’ Jesús Luzardo and Trevor Rogers.

Hoskins’ predicament could improve Kody Clemens’ chances of making the team. He played some first base in the minors and last season with the Tigers. He also has fared well this spring in the five-way competition for two bench spots. Like Hall, Clemens is a left-handed hitter, but his splits aren’t nearly as pronounced. His first major league homer even came last season against All-Star lefty reliever Joe Mantiply of the Diamondbacks.

The optimal scenario to replace Hoskins could involve Hall (or Clemens) at first base against right-handed pitchers and Bohm (with Sosa at third base) against lefties.

But would the Phillies really introduce Bohm to the challenge of shuttling between positions?

For one thing, Bohm remains a developing player, and he’s coming off a breakthrough season. He’s also turning into a steady third baseman, and the Phillies are committed to him at the position. Despite Hoskins’ defensive shortcomings, and with DH at-bats available while Harper is on the mend from Tommy John elbow surgery, Bohm hasn’t gotten many practice reps at first base and started there in only one Grapefruit League game.

» READ MORE: Why Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh are keys to the Phillies making a big jump in 2023

But the circumstances changed when Hoskins blew out his knee.

Maybe the Phillies’ plan for Bohm will, too.