As the Phillies are opening their 2023 season in Arlington, Texas, first baseman Rhys Hoskins will be undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery in Fort Worth.
The procedure on Hoskins' injured left knee will be performed Thursday by Dr. Steve Singleton, the Phillies announced Tuesday afternoon.
Hoskins is expected to miss the entire season. Everyone heals differently, but the average recovery time from a torn ACL for a baseball player is at least nine months.
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Hoskins suffered the injury going back on a grounder at first base in a spring training game last Thursday. He fell to the ground after reaching the outfield grass, clutching his knee after the non-contact injury.
In the ensuing days, Hoskins' Phillies teammates talked about the impact of losing him in the lineup and clubhouse.
"Our hearts are so heavy for him because we all know how much he means to this team, the clubhouse, the camaraderie," Nick Castellanos said. "I always say that he's kind of like our spokesperson. He's the guy who steps up and talks to the team whenever something needs to be addressed. He's really good at all that stuff and he's really important to what we have."
Hoskins and Aaron Nola, the two longest-tenured Phillies, will both be free agents after the season. Hoskins will hit the market at age 30 after months of rehabbing a serious injury.
MLB
Hoskins hit 30 home runs and 33 doubles last season, batting .246/.332/.462. His .794 OPS was 11th among qualifying major-league first basemen.
Without him, the Phillies plan to use left-handed-hitting Darick Hall at first base against righties. It should mean more playing time for Jake Cave, another lefty hitter, because Hall wouldn't be occupying the DH spot against right-handers and it could instead go to Castellanos or Kyle Schwarber, leaving a spot in the outfield for Cave.
What the Phillies do against left-handers is less clear, but it will likely involve Edmundo Sosa. The Phillies are scheduled to face lefties in their third and fourth games of the season, Martin Perez of the Rangers and Nestor Cortes of the Yankees.