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2 years ago

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6:14 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA — — Rhys Hoskins leaned on his left crutch as he helped injured teammate Bryce Harper raise the Phillies’ 2022 National League championship banner. He got a standing ovation as he hobbled to the field two days later to accept his championship ring.

Hoskins’ participation in Philadelphia’s opening weekend festivities was about all he could muster as the slugging first baseman recovers from a torn ACL in his left knee.

But should the Phillies make another run in October, Hoskins is ready to spike the seven- to nine-month rehab expectation and play in the postseason.

“I’m going to do everything in my power to give myself an opportunity that if and when we are playing in late October, I have a chance to contribute to that,” Hoskins said Monday.

The 30-year-old Hoskins — playing on a $12 million, one-year contract — spoke to reporters for the first time since he “felt a pop” and was injured in late March while fielding a grounder in a spring training game. Hoskins hit 30 homers with 79 RBI last season for the reigning NL champions.

He hit six homers in Philadelphia’s playoff run last season. The Phillies lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series.

The second-longest tenured Phillies player behind Aaron Nola, Hoskins had a moment forever etched in Philly sports lore when he hit a three-run homer and slammed his bat in celebration in a Game 3 win against Atlanta in the NL Division Series. The moment is captured on a mural on a corridor inside Citizens Bank Park that leads from the clubhouse to the dugout.

Hoskins was in full uniform for the banner-raising and for his hug with owner John Middleton when he got his ring. But he wore a Phillies sweatshirt and his bulky leg brace was on display as he lumbered to the middle of the clubhouse Monday to talk about his injury and his comeback. While his playing future is uncertain, the championship weekend was one for him to remember.

“Just being able to be here but be part of it was something that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” he said. “Those pennants stay up there forever.”

Hoskins had surgery nearly two weeks ago in Texas on the same day the Phillies opened the season against the Rangers.

The Phillies’ contingency plans suffered a setback when replacement Darick Hall suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb. He will have surgery on Wednesday. The Phillies started Kody Clemens at first base Monday night against the Marlins. Alec Bohm started at third base and will continue to get spot starts at first against tough left-handers.

Hoskins said he needs about six weeks on crutches and then rehab to build strength in the leg before he hopefully can start to jog and eventually run at the three-month mark.

“I often find myself asking why, right? Trying to figure out the answer,” he said. “Sometimes there isn’t and that’s just kind of how it goes. I think being here with the guys, trying to be as engaged as I can about what’s going on in the field is best. Sure, hard, of course. I want to do everything that I can to be out there. We have big expectations for the talent that we have in the clubhouse.”

Hoskins has tried not to think about the fact that his last moment as a player in a Phillies uniform could be the one of him taken off the field on a cart.

“So much has to happen before I think of anything that has to do with my future or what a professional contract may or may not look like,” he said. “Of course I thought about it. Of course I’m disappointed. But right now, it’s about the small wins I have to focus on throughout this rehab.”

Hoskins said he found some encouragement that he can make a same-season comeback from teammate Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber tore two ligaments in his left knee after a frightening collision with a Cubs teammate in 2016 while chasing down a flyball. It was only the third game of the season and Schwarber figured his year was over.

But 201 days later, and following months of relentless rehab, Schwarber returned to help the Cubs win the World Series. He batted .412 with seven hits, one double and two RBI in five World Series games.

Hoskins stopped himself when talking about his recovery timeline and noted: “I’m going to lean on those people who have the experience with the next seven to nine months — well, six months — what I should expect.”

Hoskins said he planned to stick around the team as much as possible while he rehabs.

“I’ll pour myself into this team just like I always have and try to find a way to make a positive impact,” he said.

——

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP–Sports

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Springer’s 7 RBIs help Jays pile on Yankees late

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1 hour ago

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July 2, 2025

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Springer's 7 RBIs help Jays pile on Yankees late

  • ESPN News Services

Jul 1, 2025, 07:23 PM ET

George Springer had a career-high seven RBIs, including his ninth grand slam, and the Toronto Blue Jays celebrated Canada Day by beating the Yankees 12-5 on Tuesday and closing within one game of American League East-leading New York.

The seven RBIs are tied for the second most by any Blue Jays player in a home game, behind Edwin Encarnación (nine RBIs in 2015), according to ESPN Research.

Andrés Giménez had a go-ahead, three-run homer for the Blue Jays, who overcame a 2-0 deficit against Max Fried. After the Yankees tied the score 4-4 in the seventh, Toronto broke open the game in the bottom half against a reeling Yankees bullpen.

Springer went 3-for-4, starting the comeback with a solo homer in the fourth against Fried and boosting the lead to 9-5 with the slam off Luke Weaver after Ernie Clement‘s go-ahead single off shortstop Anthony Volpe‘s glove. Springer has 13 homers this season.

Toronto won the first two games of the four-game series and closed within one game of the Yankees for the first time since before play on April 20.

New York went 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position, dropping to 3-for-24 in the series, while the Blue Jays were 5-for-7. After going 13-14 in June, the Yankees fell to 10-14 against AL East rivals.

The Associate Press contributed to this report.

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Astros’ Alvarez to see hand specialist after setback

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1 hour ago

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July 2, 2025

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Astros' Alvarez to see hand specialist after setback

  • Associated Press

Jul 1, 2025, 08:23 PM ET

DENVER — Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has experienced a setback in his recovery from a broken right hand and will see a specialist.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez felt pain when he arrived Tuesday at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he had a workout a day earlier. Alvarez also took batting practice Saturday at Daikin Park.

He will be shut down until he’s evaluated by the specialist.

“It’s a tough time going through this with Yordan, but I know that he’s still feeling pain and the soreness in his hand,” Brown said before Tuesday night’s series opener at Colorado, which the Astros won 6-5. “We’re not going to try to push it or force him through anything. We’re just going to allow him to heal and get a little bit more answers as to what steps we take next.”

Alvarez has been sidelined for nearly two months. The injury was initially diagnosed as a muscle strain, but when Alvarez felt pain again while hitting in late May, imaging revealed a small fracture.

The 28-year-old outfielder, who has hit 31 homers or more in each of the past four seasons, had been eyeing a return as soon as this weekend at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now it’s uncertain when he’ll play.

“We felt like he was close because he had felt so good of late,” Brown said, “but this is certainly news that we didn’t want.”

Also Tuesday, the Astros officially placed shortstop Jeremy Peña on the 10-day injured list with a fractured rib and recalled infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land.

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Ohtani’s 30th HR before break ties Dodgers mark

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1 hour ago

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July 2, 2025

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Ohtani's 30th HR before break ties Dodgers mark

  • ESPN News Services

Jul 2, 2025, 01:38 AM ET

Shohei Ohtani reached 30 homers for the fifth straight season, hitting a fourth-inning drive after fouling a pitch off the plate umpire, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 6-1 on Tuesday night.

Ohtani fouled the ball off Alan Porter’s right knee in the fourth. Ohtani checked on the umpire and stood by watching until Parker got up under his own power. The three-time MVP then hit a 408-foot shot to center, snapping an 0-for-6 skid and extending the lead to 6-1. He tied Cody Bellinger in 2019 for most home runs before the All-Star break in Dodgers history; Bellinger won National League MVP that year.

Ohtani joined Seattle‘s Cal Raleigh (33) and Aaron Judge of the Yankees (30) as players with at least 30 homers by the All-Star break; it marks the fifth season that three players have reached the 30-homer threshold before the break (2019, 1998, 1994, 1969).

As for Ohtani, this is his third season hitting at least 30 home runs before the break, tying Ken Griffey Jr. for third most in MLB history (Judge and Mark McGwire each did so for four seasons).

During the seventh-inning stretch, Ohtani walked over and checked on Porter again before leading off.

Los Angeles scored its most runs this season in support of Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-6), staking the Japanese right-hander to a 4-0 lead in the first inning.

The Dodgers won for the 13th time in 16 games and opened a season-high, eight-game NL West lead. They are 16-5 (.762 win percentage) since June 8, the best record in MLB during that span.

Every run Tuesday night was scored with two outs.

Yamamoto allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked one.

White Sox rookie Shane Smith (3-6) got two quick outs in the first before walking Will Smith and Max Muncy back-to-back. Teoscar Hernández followed with an RBI single, Andy Pages hit a run-scoring double and Michael Conforto had a two-run single.

Chicago’s lone run came on Lenyn Sosa‘s RBI single in the third.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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