The diagnosis is in for Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins, and it's not good.  Hoskins suffered a knee injury in the field in top of the second inning of Thursday's Grapefruit League game in Clearwater.  Hoskins underwent an MRI afterwards, and the results are not good.


Such an injury could end his season before it begins.

The typical time for rehabilitation is about nine months, according to many reports, including one from Elite Baseball Performance.  That would surely mean that Hoskins will miss the entirety of the 2023 baseball season.  The timing is unfortunate for Hoskins for this season and beyond.

Hoskins is in the final year of his rookie contract.  That means Hoskins is going to be a free agent at season's end.  This would have been a good opportunity to showcase his talents for the teams around the league.  The Phillies have been noncommittal about re-signing Hoskins.

The Phillies lose a key right-handed bat in their lineup.  While Hoskins is known to be streaky at times, the end line on his seasons have been a consistent .330-350 on base percentage and between 25 and 30 home runs.  Hoskins posted a 2.9 WAR last season.

The Phillies will try to make up those 2.9 wins through some combination of Darick Hall, Alec Bohm, and the inclusion of others such as Edmundo Sosa in the infield.  But their plans going forward are unknown in the immediate wake of the injury.  This indeed is a big loss for the Phillies.

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