Trea Turner News Emerges After Phillies' Loss to Twins

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 9:50 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies have clinched a free pass to the NL Division Series, but there's another reason why they should feel good heading into Sunday's regular season finale against the Minnesota Twins.

The Phillies have gone 13-6 in the past 19 games without injured shortstop Trea Turner (hamstring), who's fifth in baseball with a .305 batting average. The 32-year-old also leads the team with 179 hits, which ranks fourth in MLB.

On top of that, Turner tops Philadelphia with a 5.4 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), which is 0.6 ahead of teammate and NL home run leader Kyle Schwarber. It's also the highest WAR Turner has had since he played for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson revealed good news about Turner after Saturday's 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins via The Athletic's Matt Gelb.

"Phillies will activate Trea Turner for Game 162," Gelb reported. "He’ll play a few innings at shortstop Sunday. Phillies medical staff has deemed him healthy, Rob Thomson said."

Turner's return will get him reps before the playoffs, which will allow him to warm up and re-acclimate to the lineup under more relaxed circumstances. If the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder has a good game, that'll also help his confidence at the right time.

Phillies will activate Trea Turner for Game 162. He’ll play a few innings at shortstop Sunday. Phillies medical staff has deemed him healthy, Rob Thomson said.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) September 28, 2025

Can Phillies Return to World Series?

Philadelphia hasn't been to the World Series since Turner arrived in 2023. The club lost the 2022 World Series to the Houston Astros in six games before losing the NL Championship Series in seven to the Arizona Diamondbacks the year after. Then, it lost the Division Series in four games to the New York Mets last season.

The Phillies are just 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL's top record as the Brewers play the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night, so they've proven that they can hang with the best in the league over several months. However, that might not translate to the postseason.

For Philadelphia to win it all, its pitching staff must shine without ace Zack Wheeler (shoulder), who's out for the season. The club is tied for eighth with a 3.82 team ERA this season, so it's at least shown it can hold up without him.

Additionally, Turner, Schwarber, and first baseman Bryce Harper must play like the superstars they are. Turner slashed just .200/.294/.200 in last year's postseason, while Schwarber slashed .125/.263/.313. On the bright side, Harper slashed .333/.529/.750.

Southpaw pitcher Cristopher Sanchez will start for the Phillies against Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson on Sunday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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