Down yet another first baseman, Phillies must reassess once more

The Philadelphia Phillies entered the season with an unexpected question mark at first base after Rhys Hoskins went down with what could be a season-ending ACL tear during the final week of spring training. That pushed Darick Hall to the top of the depth chart, at least against right-handed pitching.

Hall started five of Philadelphia’s first six games before suffering a thumb injury on Wednesday. Come Friday morning, the club announced that the left-handed hitter tore a ligament in his right thumb which will require surgery. Matt Gelb of the Athletic relays that Hall could be out for around two months, which will leave the club dipping further down the depth chart.

First cracks will apparently fall to Kody Clemens. Acquired alongside Gregory Soto in a trade with the Tigers over the offseason, Clemens was recalled to make his team debut on Friday. He received the nod at first base against Reds right-hander Hunter Greene. Manager Rob Thomson told reporters the team plans on using the lefty-swinging Clemens as their primary first baseman against right-handed hurlers (link via Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer).

Against southpaws, the Phils will likely slide Alec Bohm over from third base while turning to Edmundo Sosa or Josh Harrison at the hot corner. Non-roster player Scott Kingery hit well enough in spring training to potentially put himself in the mix for a multi-positional bench role as well.

Clemens, 27 next month, has primarily worked as a second baseman in the minors. He is regarded as more of a bat-first player, though most prospect evaluators have suggested he would be better suited for a utility role than every day play. Clemens got into 57 big league games with Detroit last season, when he struggled to a .145/.197/.308 batting line in 127 trips to the plate. He had been far better with the Tigers' top affiliate in Toledo, where he had an above-average .274/.327/.535 slash with 13 home runs in 60 contests.

While Clemens has a solid offensive track record in the minors, it is an obviously sub-optimal situation for a team expecting to contend in a difficult NL East. Gelb notes that Philadelphia explored potential trade possibilities in the immediate aftermath of Hoskins’ injury, but couldn’t find an available external option they considered a significant enough upgrade over Hall.

It’s possible the team reexamines that market in the wake of Hall’s injury, although mid-April is not a typically active time for trades. If the Phillies were to go outside the organization in the short term, it would likely be for a player toward the back of the depth chart rather than an impact acquisition.