Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins was carted off the field Thursday afternoon after suffering a non-contact left knee injury while fielding a ground ball behind first base during a spring game against the Detroit Tigers. The Phillies say Hoskins is being evaluated and the team will provide an update when appropriate.
Here is the injury. Hoskins went down awkwardly and suddenly:
Although it does happen occasionally, non-contact knee injuries rarely result in something minor, particularly when the player is in obvious pain like Hoskins. Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux stumbled running the bases a few weeks ago and his non-contact knee injury proved to be multiple torn ligaments and season-ending.
Hoskins, 30, is scheduled to become a free agent after the season. He has been a steady middle of the order presence throughout his career, and last season he slashed .246/.332/.462 with 33 doubles and 30 home runs. The Phillies are already without Bryce Harper, who will miss the start of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Should Hoskins miss time, the Phillies could slide Alec Bohm over to first base and slot utility man Josh Harrison in at third. Philadelphia could also put Darick Hall at first base, though his glove leaves a lot to be desired. That would open up the DH spot for Bohm, Nick Castellanos, or Kyle Schwarber.
Miguel Sanó is the best bat free agency has to offer at this point if the Phillies decide to go outside the organization to replace Hoskins. Luke Voit has an opt-out date coming up in his minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and could make sense for the Phillies.
The Phillies went 87-75 last season and won the National League pennant. Hoskins slugged six home runs in the team's 17 postseason games.
