Phillies update: Rhys Hoskins on road back from successful surgery

With spring training and training camp well underway, the Philadelphia Phillies had two big pieces of their roster who have not yet played in a game yet — Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins. Hoskins was a mystery, and it wasn’t until the Phillies were asked about his status did they reveal this crucial piece of information.

Philadelphia Phillies: Rhys Hoskins on road to recovery after surgery

This is big considering his play throughout the playoffs and him being a defensive liability throughout most of the postseason and the World Series. Hoskins had a pair of errors in the playoffs, but watching this one kind of grabs your attention to his right leg, which he is attempting to extend off the base with his right leg. It just looks awkward and as if he can’t completely stretch that knee and leg straight.

While Hoskins has been known to not be the best first baseman, he is renowned as a great teammate and leader who did have some big moments to help Philadelphia grab the Wild Card spot. When watching this team play, you can clearly see how much respect Hoskins gets from his teammates, especially from Harper. Hopefully cleaning up the knee will help Hoskins be a little more flexible and show more athleticism as this most likely is his last chance to prove he belongs in Philadelphia and on this team (he is a free agent at the end of the season).

Let’s be honest with ourselves … Dave Dombrowski is star hunting. If there was ever a quote in Philly that could be attributed to Dombrowski, it would be this one.

While this never worked out for the Sixers, the Phillies have a much better constructed roster and potentially one of the most talented rosters that Philly has ever seen. While Hoskins is a great clubhouse guy and has a great bat (when he isn’t going through his seasonal slumps), that is about all he has been able to bring to the table.

I would love for Hoskins to come back this season and be a top defensive first baseman and a guy who they can’t move on from. However, if Dombrowski can go get a star first baseman who can be a good defensive player, then don’t be surprised if Hoskins isn’t resigned.

Hoskins should be back soon and, hopefully, fans will get a glimpse of how his knee his feeling. Hoskins will most likely have a few restrictions from Phillies manager Rob Thomson to ease him into the lineup but, nonetheless, it will be nice to see a game with a majority of the starting lineup in a game together.