Philly Leader

PHILADELPHIA -- Trea Turner appears revitalized.

Turner did not play Wednesday as Phillies manager Rob Thomson decided he needed a break. Turner had been struggling offensively for weeks, and it seemed to affect his defensive performance as well. He ran cautiously on the bases, possibly still concerned about his left hamstring that had sidelined him earlier this season. His OPS dropped 136 points from the All-Star break through Tuesday, while his batting average fell by 52 points.

The Phillies stated Turner was not injured but acknowledged he did not look fully healthy either.

After going 3-for-5 with one double, two RBIs, and two runs scored on Thursday, Turner followed up with a 4-for-5 performance and a walk-off single in the ninth inning during Friday night's 3-2 victory over Washington.

“I feel like I’m doing things right,” Turner said.

“There’s a reason why he makes all that money, right?” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of Turner, who is in the second season of an 11-year, $300 million contract. “He’s one of the best players in the game.”

On Thursday, Turner hit a ball to third baseman José Tena with one out in the bottom of the first inning. The ball reached Tena quickly, causing him to back up a few steps to field it. Turner sprinted down the line for a single.

Statcast recorded Turner's sprint speed at 31 feet per second, marking his fastest home-to-first sprint since July 20 in Pittsburgh and his eighth-fastest home-to-first time this season (4.18 seconds).

On Friday, Turner raced to second base for a double in the fifth inning. Statcast clocked his home-to-second time at eight seconds, his fastest since May 27, 2023 (7.82 seconds).

“It’s weird; it’s like a day-by-day thing,” Turner said about his running. “Some days I feel good; some days I don’t. I think that’s the case with everybody. It’s a long season obviously and I want to be healthy in the postseason. Sometimes it may not look like I’m running at 110 percent or sometimes it does.”

Turner mentioned he spent Wednesday watching video from his 2020-21 seasons.

“I felt like I was more consistent then,” Turner said. “I talked about it a lot when I signed here. Since I’ve been here when I’m going good, it’s been really good. But when I’m going bad, it’s been pretty bad."

Turner noted that reviewing past footage helped him work on hitting the ball to the opposite field again.

“When I tell myself ‘Hit the ball the other way,’ it doesn’t necessarily come out that way," he explained.

Turner expressed satisfaction on Thursday after hitting an opposite-field single at 109 mph—his second hardest-hit ball of the season.

“I wasn’t really trying to hit the ball the other way,” he admitted. “But when I’m doing that I’m kind of at my best.”

If Turner maintains his offensive momentum and runs without risking injury, he could be an essential catalyst for the Phillies’ offense.

“You get nicks and bruises every day; all of us do,” said Turner, now 31 years old. “You get hit by a pitch; you take a swing; certain things happen—you’re not always going to feel 100 percent."

Reflecting on how age affects performance, Turner added: "Sometimes as you get older...you’ve got to pick your spots."