PHILADELPHIA — For now, Trea Turner remains at shortstop for the Phillies.
But president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was frank in his assessment Thursday of where Turner stands at shortstop, two days after meeting with the former All-Star in person at Citizens Bank Park.
“From a defensive perspective, we are very clear — he knows he has to be better at shortstop. I told him that it’s really mandatory that he’s like that,” Dombrowski said. “He feels he can play, and if he plays shortstop like he did in ’25, he can play shortstop. But if he plays it like he did in ’26, he can’t. He totally understands that.”
It is a little unclear how the Phillies are going to test whether Turner can stick at shortstop. He’ll work with new infield coach Carlos Mendoza, but depending upon how long the lockout goes, there could be a shortened Spring Training or Summer Camp to really evaluate things. And ultimately, Turner can look great in the Grapefruit League, but if he makes an error at shortstop on Opening Day, fans will be up in arms.
What was clear from listening to Dombrowski is that the Phillies aren’t going to be afraid to pivot from Turner during the 2027 season if he isn’t performing at shortstop. Aidan Miller and Bryan Rincon are prospects not far from the majors who are shortstops. Bryson Stott’s natural position is shortstop, even if he’s probably better at second or third base. And there’s always the possibility of signing a free agent, whether that would be bringing back Edmundo Sosa or someone else.
So let’s say, whether it’s during Spring Training or sometime in the season, that the Phillies decide that despite Turner’s best efforts, he just can’t play shortstop anymore. What position would he slide to? Many fans and pundits have suggested he could become an outfielder, although Dombrowski had an interesting answer Thursday when asked about that possibility.
“Well, he’s played there before,” Dombrowski said of the outfield. “He prefers the infield, I would say, other positions. So I would think it’s something that he’s a good athlete. I think he can adjust appropriately, but we’ll wait and we’ll see what happens.”
It’s technically true that Turner has played in the outfield before, but it’s not particularly relevant experience at this point. He played 387 2/3 innings in center field for the Washington Nationals in 2016, his age-23 season. Most of his defensive metrics — including his minus-two defensive runs saved — were not very good. He did have two outs above average, for what it’s worth. But the fact that he didn’t ever play there again gives you an idea of how the Nationals felt about it. In any event, Turner will play next season at 34 years old. He had hamstring injuries in both 2024 and 2025. From here, it feels unlikely he would go to center field in his mid-30s just because he played there a bit over a decade ago.
Left field is hardly an unreasonable idea. The Phillies have won with left fielders who aren’t great defenders during the Citizens Bank Park Era, such as Pat Burrell, Raúl Ibañez and Kyle Schwarber. There are other stadiums where left field is harder to traverse, but it’s doable at Citizens Bank Park. If nothing else, it’s not as important of a position as shortstop or center field, so it could be easier to hide Turner there if he’s underwhelming.
Still, the most natural pivot might be in the infield. It’s probably not likely that one day next spring Turner comes to the Phillies and just acknowledges he can’t play shortstop anymore. If they come to that conclusion, there might have to be a bit of give and take with Turner, who is under contract through the 2033 season. If he would prefer to stay in the infield over going to the outfield, then at least in 2027, that might be a concession worth making to him.
Also, it might just be the right move.
Oct 1, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Trea Turner (6) and shortstop Corey Seager (5) celebrate the 8-6 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
No one is suggesting Turner become the third baseman. But second base might be a fit. He has played there more recently than the outfield, as Turner shifted to second base when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2021 season because they had Corey Seager at shortstop. Across 436 2/3 innings at second base, Turner posted three defensive runs saved and two outs above average. He did make five errors still, so he probably wouldn’t be a Gold Glove candidate at second. But again, it’s a less important position than shortstop, and his athleticism could allow him to have some impressive moments at the spot. The aforementioned Stott would likely then play third base.
Perhaps the real tell will be whether Turner takes reps at any positions other than shortstop next Spring Training — again, assuming the labor situation is figured out in a relatively timely manner. But Dombrowski’s infield comment Thursday felt noteworthy.
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