Luis Arraez (ankle) absent from Saturday’s lineup

Sosa was removed from Wednesday’s game due to a groin injury that he aggravated while hustling out an infield single. He’ll start at third base and bat seventh for the Phillies on Thursday evening. Bryan De La Cruz will start in left field in place of Brandon Marsh. Here’s the full lineup that the Phillies will use against Braves’ opener Ray Kerr to start Thursday’s game: Trea Turner (SS), Kyle Schwarber (DH), Bryce Harper (RF), Alec Bohm (1B), Bryson Stott (2B), Bryan De La Cruz (LF), Edmundo Sosa (3B), J.T. Realmuto (C) and Justin Crawford (CF).

This is not a major surprise after Arraez sprained his ankle just this week. Phillies manager Don Mattingly said, “We still get improvement every day, but not enough. He was going to try to hit today and just wasn’t able to do it. So, we kind of crossed that bridge today.” There’s a chance that Arraez will be able to return for the NLDS, but, for now, Triple-A Lehigh Valley utility player Otto Kemp will take Arraez’s place on the roster. The Phillies figure to move Bryson Stott back to second base, but it remains to be seen if they move Alec Bohm back to third and Bryce Harper to first or if they just insert Edmundo Sosa into the lineup at third base.

It’s the third straight game that Arraez has missed since suffering a left ankle sprain earlier in the week. It’s possible that he could be available off the bench if needed in a near must-win game for the Phillies on Sunday. Bryson Stott will again slide over and cover second base while Edmundo Sosa starts at third base and will bat seventh for the Phillies.

The Phillies have spent weeks searching for a big hit and Stott failed to deliver it in this game. After reaching in each of his first two plate appearances, Stott came up with runners on first and second with one out in the sixth as the Phillies trailed 2-0. He wound up hitting a liner right to second base and that score held through the final. The Phillies’ magic number remains at two as things get even tighter between them and the Padres.

The Phillies haven’t provided any updates on his status yet, but the fact that he hasn’t been placed on the injured list leaves hope that they expect him to return for the NLDS, even if he misses the final weekend of the regular season. His availability will ultimately depend on how much he’s able to improve over the next few days.

That’s certainly encouraging. He’ll be reevaluated on Friday to determine his availability for the weekend and the postseason. All fantasy managers and Phillies’ fans can do now is wait and hope for the best. Expect another update on his status on Friday afternoon.

Arrez was trying to avoid a collision with Jake Bauers while running to first base when he stepped awkwardly and went down in a heap. He had to be helped off the field and was unable to put any weight on his left leg. He’ll head for further evaluation. There’s definitely concern that he won’t be ready for the Wild Card series and could be looking at an extended absence.

Arraez hasn’t given the Phillies much of a lift with his .283/.314/.376 line in 45 games with the team, but what really matters is how he performs in October. He’s also still currently in line to win the NL batting title, though he dropped to .312 tonight. He hadn’t finished a game that low since May 14. Gabriel Moreno (.307) and Otto Lopez (.304) have the best chance of catching him.

Stott led off the eighth inning with a double off of Tobias Myers — the only extra-base hit for either team in the ballgame — and then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Justin Crawford. With his two-hit attack, the 28-year-old infielder is now hitting .250/.326/.390 with 10 long balls, 65 RBI and 25 stolen bases (in 25 attempts) over 571 plate appearances on the year.

Stott doesn’t sit against all left-handers, but he’ll find himself on the bench against one of the toughest in baseball on Friday night. Edmundo Sosa will man the hot corner in his absence and will bat sixth for the Phillies.