The Philadelphia crowd has been letting Trea Turner have it lately. Fifteen errors this season will do that. On Monday night, he made four misplays in a loss to the Dodgers and heard it from more than 40,000 fans at Citizens Bank Park. But Tuesday gave him one moment that cut through all that noise.
In the top of the fifth inning, Alex Call hit a liner up the middle off Zack Wheeler. Turner laid out, snagged the ball, popped up, and fired a hard throw to Bryce Harper at first. The kind of play that makes you forget everything else for a second. The fans still cheered. At least for that one play.
The Phillies lost 2-1 anyway. Turner went 1-for-4 at the plate. Progress? Hard to say. But it wasn’t another disaster.
Turner’s defensive history in Philly has been rough
This isn’t a new issue. In 2023, Turner posted a minus-12 Defensive Runs Saved. The next year was worse — 13 errors and a minus-16 DRS. That’s not what you expect from a guy making $300 million.
But 2025 looked different. Turner turned it around with a plus-2 DRS, 17 Outs Above Average, and an 11 Fielding Run Value. That version of him looked like the guy the Phillies thought they were signing. This year, the errors are back. He’s at minus-8 DRS right now and batting .246 with 14 homers and 40 RBIs.
On Monday, after the four-misplay game, Turner hit two home runs and a double — including his 200th career homer. Interim manager Don Mattingly defended him after that one. “He’s been working through it,” Mattingly said. “He’s still a guy you want out there.”
One play doesn’t fix everything, but it’s something
The diving stop against the Dodgers won’t make the error total disappear. But it shows Turner can still make the spectacular play. The consistency is the problem. Always has been.
He’s under contract for years. The Phillies are stuck with him whether they like it or not. So nights like Tuesday matter. They don’t erase the bad ones. But they remind everyone what he can do when it clicks.
Turner finished that game with one hit. The Phillies lost by one run. But for a few seconds in the fifth inning, the boos turned into something else. That counts for something in a long season.
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