The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Friday that they had placed third baseman Alec Bohm on the injured list with a left hand strain. In a corresponding move, the Phillies recalled infielder Buddy Kennedy from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Bohm’s deactivation comes more than a week after he suffered the injury on a swing during a game against the Atlanta Braves. He initially remained in that game, but was removed before taking another at-bat. Earlier this week the Phillies had expressed optimism that he would be able to avoid the injured list. Even then, though, Phillies manager Rob Thomson noted that they were taking the matter seriously.
“It’s getting better but it’s not getting better as quickly as we’d thought,” Thomson said at the time. “We just want to make sure we knock this thing out because I’m always afraid with foot injuries, hand injuries, it affects peoples swings and then you get into bad habits and lose some confidence.”
Bohm, 28, heads to the shelf having hit .290/.343/.462 (123 OPS+) with 13 home runs and 44 doubles in his first 131 games. His contributions had been worth an estimated 3.4 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference’s calculations.
Kennedy, 25, had his contract purchased from the Detroit Tigers earlier this summer. In 46 career big-league games — none yet with the Phillies — he’s hit .205/.294/.316 (72 OPS+). The Phillies have turned to a few different infielders at third base during Bohm’s absence, including Edmundo Sosa, Weston Wilson, and Kody Clemens.
The Phillies will continue a four-game set in Miami against the Marlins on Friday. They’ll enter the game with an 84-56 record, tying them with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top record in all of Major League Baseball. The Phillies possess an eight-game advantage in the National League East, suggesting that the goals for the remainder of their regular season schedule are staying healthy and locking up the top seed.
