The Philadelphia Phillies are on a hot streak. They just swept the (suffering) Oakland A’s at their own place, and up next is their National League East division rival the Atlanta Braves. Philly is starting to get healthier, too, which means more options for the lineup.
And a refreshing name just got added to the list.
On Monday afternoon, first baseman Darick Hall was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and found himself back on the 40-man roster. It’s a welcome sign for the 27-year-old and for the Phillies as a whole and he’ll get some time at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
He was on a rehab assignment and for position players, they last only 20 days. After that, they needed to be reinstated from the IL.
When the Phillies were off to a mediocre start to their 2023 defense of the NL pennant, Hall required surgery early into the season. In April, he tore a ligament in his thumb sliding into second base. Since then, his two-month-long absence has contributed to the problems of solidifying the first base position.
Hall provides the Phillies some depth
Rhys Hoskins was already done for the season before it started, courtesy of a torn ACL, and Bryce Harper is still working his way back into potentially fielding again after undergoing Tommy John surgery in November 2022. Since then, there have been a variety of characters filling in at the spot.
There was Alec Bohm until his injury and he was put on the 10-day IL back on June 1st due to a left hamstring strain. He’s since returned, giving a bit of wiggle room for manager Rob Thomson. Kody Clemens picked up the slack but the team was wary of putting him in against lefties.
But with Hall given the chance to be back at the mound at Citizens Bank Park, there’s a sigh of relief. In 2022, Hall was the recipient of the Paul Owens Award. That is given annually to the organization’s top minor league player.
This season, Hall slashed .222/.263/.278 in six games (five starts) before his injury. In his rehab assignment, he’s showing similar strength at the plate. He’s slashing .255 with two homers, three doubles, 10 runs batted in, and a .793 OPS across 13 games.
When he does return to the City of Brotherly Love, Thomson is going to likely cycle between him and Clemens. But depth is depth and for a Phillies team on the rise in June, it’s a wise move.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum
