Phillies: Jean Segura can really hit… unless he’s on the bench
By TC Zencka
The Philadelphia Phillies await an injury update on shortstop Jean Segura after he was removed from Thursday’s game with a hamstring injury.
Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jean Segura exited Thursday’s afternoon tilt at SunTrust Park with an apparent hamstring injury.
The injury occurred in the top of the sixth inning. Segura singled home Bryce Harper to pull the Phillies within one but grabbed his hamstring as he pulled up to first. The injury did not appear severe, but it caused enough discomfort to remove Segura from the game.
Maikel Franco got to experience the joys of pinch-running as he took Segura’s place at first base. Philadelphia announcers Joe McCarthy and John Kruk were certainly got a kick out of the decision, as they assumed – justifiably – that expanded September rosters would allow manager Gabe Kapler to burn a speedster in that spot.
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Franco stayed in the game to play third, while super-utility dirt dog Scott Kingery once again proved the value of versatility by sliding over to shortstop.
I’d be surprised if the injury keeps Segura out for more than a few games, but this time of year there’s no such thing as a minor injury. The Phils will have to resist the urge to go back to Segura before he’s ready, especially given the finicky nature of hamstring strains.
Segura’s first season in Philadelphia hasn’t turned many heads, but his competency across all levels of the game make him a useful player and important to the Phillies playoff hopes. His ability to put bat-to-ball is especially useful this time of year. You want to put as much pressure on the defense as possible when tension levels are high, and Segura’s 12.2% strikeout percentage puts him among the best in the game at putting the ball in play.
The 29-year-old shortstop does just about everything else just about well enough. He’s at .283/.328/.429 on the year, good for a 95 wRC+. WAR evaluators differ slightly on Segura’s output, 1.7 bWAR versus 2.7 fWAR, basically the difference between being a solid regular to a borderline All-Star.
However you want to define his contributions, Segura’s consistency provides a degree of certainty the Phillies will need as they try to track down the final Wild Card spot.
Kingery is the primary understudy, and he certainly knows the part after captaining the infield for 101 games in 2018. At the same time, the Phillies made a concerted effort to make sure he wasn’t their best option for 2019.
Adam Haseley can make up for much of Jean Segura’s bat while taking over centerfield for Kingery: the rookie’s slash line of .257/.326/.406 (90 wRC+) comes close to matching Segura’s.
Sean Rodriguez, 34, is the other option to see time at short. The veteran certainly won’t be cowed by a playoff race, but he doesn’t carry the most potent bat: .219/.314/.381 across 124 plate appearances this season, 88 wRC+ for his career.
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With a tragic number of 9 heading into today’s game with Atlanta, there’s no margin for error in Philly. They have 11 games in the last 10 days of the season following Thursday’s game, including 5 more emotionally-taxing bouts at Nats Park. Needless to say, the Philadelphia Phillies need to steamroll these last ten days to make the playoffs – a tall task even without a balky hamstring.