Phillies Get Devastating Injury Update on First Baseman

Even before the 2023 MLB season began, the Philadelphia Phillies were already hit hard by injuries. They knew they'd be without former MVP Bryce Harper for a while, and then Rhys Hoskins suffered a torn ACL during Spring Training.

Darick Hall was tapped to replace Hoskins at first base, but now he's hurt, too.

Philadelphia Phillies News

According to Phillies beat reporter Scott Lauber, Hall suffered a torn ligament in his thumb and will require surgery next week.

While Hall is expected to return at some point later in the year, this is yet another major blow to Philadelphia's roster. The Phillies called up Kody Clemens from Triple-A to man first base in Friday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Clemens, the son of legendary pitcher Roger, broke in with the Detroit Tigers last year and batted an uninspiring .145/.197/.308 in 56 games.

Philadelphia wasn't planning to need another first baseman so soon, as two of them have gone down in the span of roughly two weeks. The roster is pretty thin on first-base options at the moment, and Clemens may not be a great solution if his bat doesn't improve. Darin Ruf is available after being released by the New York Mets last week, so the Phillies may look to add him as a depth option.

Still, this is clearly not the start the 1-5 defending NL champs were hoping for.