To hear Dave Dombrowski talk about it, it sounds like he and Trea Turner had a “come to Jesus” moment earlier this week. Dombrowski noted in his postseason press conference on Thursday that Turner flew to Philadelphia from Florida and the two met privately for about two hours.
New coaches to work with
Turner will have a pair of new coaches to work with in 2027 to fix his offensive and defensive issues. At the beginning of the press conference, Dombrowski announced that the Phillies have hired former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza to be their third base coach and infield coach. Yesterday, the Phillies fired hitting coach Kevin Long, whose position has not yet been filled. Of course, his time to do that could be affected by the negotiations for a new CBA and a potential MLB lockout. After December 1st coaches and players are not allowed to have any contact with one another.
“Trea does not think he had a good season; offensively or defensively. He takes complete accountability on that and is already working on his swing,” said Dombrowski. “Trea still has his fast-twitch muscles. He did not have a good year, but I believe that he can bounce back offensively. From a defensive perspective we were very clear. He knows he has to be better at shortstop and I told him that’s really mandatory. He feels he can play shortstop and I told him that if he plays shortstop like he did in ’25, he can play shortstop, but if he plays it like he did in ’26, he can’t.”
Dombrowski noted that Turner understands the ultimatum and that he needs to do better. The Phillies also provided Turner with some information – the nature of which was not disclosed – that will help him. Turner also be open to moving positions if the Phillies feel that is best for the team.
Will Turner bat leadoff?
Offensively, the question of where Turner will hit in the lineup also came up and Dombrowski deferred to newly named manager Don Mattingly to make that decision.
The situation leaves one big question though. What happens if Turner hits a difficult stretch either offensively or defensively? How quickly would the team move him either in the lineup or defensively if he were to hit a rough patch either at the plate or in the field?
“He’s determined to show us he can play it (shortstop) and I said, you have to show it because you can not play shortstop like you did in 2026,” Dombrowski noted, stating that Turner prefers to play on the infield rather than shifting to an outfield position in ’27.
Turner, 33, went from hitting .304/.355/.457 in 2025 to .242/.297/.378 in 2026. His fielding percentage fell from .984 in 2025 down to .963 this past season as his errors jumped from eight to 21. It’s worth noting that the .984 fielding percentage was the highest in Turner’s career as a shortstop. His previous high was .980 when he was with Washington in 2018. In over 1,200 games at short, Turner’s career fielding percentage is just .970.
The future of the Phillies infield
The Phillies infield is in a bit of an upheaval. Alec Bohm is likely to leave via free agency, and Dombrowski didn’t sound excited about the possibility of re-signing Luis Arraez, who the team acquired at the trade deadline. Harper will return to first base in 2027. That would leave Turner and Bryson Stott from last year’s infield to fill the shortstop spot and either second or third base. Prospect Aidan Miller has been a shortstop throughout his career but played at third when he returned to playing in the minors after a prolonged absence because of back issues. If Turner stumbles at short, either Stott or Miller could move to the position, but would need someone to take their spot.
Edmundo Sosa, who was somewhat of a super utility player for the Phillies in 2026, is also a free agent with no guarantee of returning to the team. Shortstop Bryan Rincon had a breakout season at Double-A Reading in 2026 – 26-67-.267/.410/.517/.927 – but has not played above the Double-A level.
If the lockout pushes back the start of the regular season, Miller and Rincon would both be eligible to play at Triple-A Lehigh Valley when their season begins. Minor league players who are not on a team’s 40-man roster are eligible to play in the minors even if there is a lockout at the major league level. That would give both players an opportunity to get some Triple-A experience. Miller played just eight games at Lehigh Valley in 2025 before being sidelined by the back issues.
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